Broken Wings
by Ethear
Summary: Takes place after Advent Children. A mysterious woman  OC  stumbles through the Forgotten City, injured and running from a dark man with cold blue eyes  OC  . Will Vincent stand by and watch? Vincent x OC
1. Of Moon and Blood

**:Hey peoples! Just here to warn you that there will be a decent amount of blood in this chapter, not for the squimish! Also, I do not own any of the FFVII Characters, but I do own any and all original characters mentioned in this story including the nasty little bad guy and the female protagonist, Mae. Do not use them in any way without my permission! . Anywhoddlies, read, review, run around and have fun. Bad mean comments are not appreciated, but constructive critisism is. Hugs and kisses to my friends::**

**Chapter 1 : Of Moon and Blood**

The Forgotten City… cold, dark, desolate, framed by pale iridescent trees. It held a timeless quality that enthralled those who entered it and drew them into a hypnotic state, making their minds fuzzy and dull, capturing their minds and stealing their perception of reality until time means nothing. The city itself, forgotten by the world, seemingly taking revenge by making most all who trod its paths forget one thing or the other. Only those who knew its secrets could not be captured in its thrall. They admired its deadly beauty, and respected its haunting power.

One man, drawn by its seclusion, haunted by its past found himself once again wandering under the majestic branches of the barren trees. He had not been there in a long while, ever since Kadaj and his gang had been killed. He had chosen to stay near the warmth of his friends. Though still distant from them in many ways, he was also irrevocably connected, and they kept pulling him back in. He guessed in many ways he was grateful. They helped pass the time. Filled lonely hours with interesting banter and foolish antics.

Lost in his thoughts, Vincent climbed up into one of the largest trees and lay comfortably cradled in its branches. There was a little breeze now, chilly, but not uncomfortably so. He had felt a strong pull dragging him to the forest earlier that day, but now the sensation was gone. He decided he would take a nap before heading back to meet the others.

* * *

Mae's heart beat rapidly in her chest, the dull metallic taste of blood lingered in her mouth, and she spit in to the side. Agony tore at her as she stumbled blindly along the worn dirt path. Her crimson blood stood out in stark contrast from the alabaster skin it wept from. The calm blue glow of the trees engulfed her, making her pain riddled mind slip further into the fog that had wound its way around her senses.

She saw the forest floor tilt before her, rising up to meet her, and managed to catch herself on one of the mysterious trees. Her head throbbed and her ears rang, but she mustn't stop. The fear that tore through her stomach making adrenaline rush through her veins reminded her of that. But oh, she was so tired. Panting and clutching her side, she pushed herself forward, dragging a slim gleaming sword behind her, silver in the luminescent glow of the forest.

Strangely enough, the forest seemed to pity the girl, coming alive and closing the path behind her. It would not matter in the end though. Her fate pursued her and not even an ancient forest alive with cryptic magic could protect her from the blood lust and hate of her foe.

* * *

The sound of harsh pants and shuffling feet broke through the haze of sleep that had settled over Vincent Valentine. Framed against the sky, his crimson cape and dark outfit hid him from the weary girl who sluggishly fled through the forest. The bitter scent of blood reached him from his perch and he turned his now interested gaze down to the no longer vacant path.

It was a woman, small in stature, dragging a gleaming katana behind her, struggling to drag her beaten body down the paths and further into the city. She wore a pained expression, partially hidden beneath wild raven curls that draped haphazardly over her aqua blue eyes. She was clutching her side, covered in gore stemming from a long gash that curled up from her belly button and around to the back of her left shoulder.

He watched her stop suddenly, shudder and fall to her knees, breathing heavily and clutching her heart. Pale to begin with, her skin practically glowed blue due to the ancient light of the trees. He watched, transfixed as they seemed to lean in and cradle her in their branches, aided by the wind. He blinked and the illusion was gone.

A harsh laugh reached his ears and he watched a dark man walk nonchalantly from the darkness. He stood a good twenty feet from the girl, arms crossed with a wicked grin twisting his features. He too had dark black hair and blue eyes, though his reminded Vincent of the vicious ice storms that wracked the North Crater.

* * *

"Mae…" That one single word, sent shivers down her spine. Fear clawed at her insides and adrenaline tore through the fog surrounding her brain. Every instinct she had was screaming for her to run, but her pride was finally rearing its head. She had had enough. She could run forever and he would still be right there behind her, laughing, taunting. Heart pounding in her chest, she gritted her teeth, plunged her sword in the ground and lifted herself from the soft earth.

Another harsh laugh scraped through the thin night air.

"Finally decided to fight me then? I thought you would run forever, though…" said the dark man as he played with the blade of his sword, "I can't say I didn't enjoy the chase."

Mae's eyes narrowed, her fear replaced by anger. They were a molten pool of iridescent silver. The wind died down and nothing seemed to move…

* * *

Vincent slid down from his perch, jumping noiselessly to a closer tree. Neither of the two people on the ground noticed. The tree thrummed under his hand, warm to the touch. Vincent felt the air grow heavy. The forest called.

* * *

A blur and then a strident screech at the two swords slid across each other's surface. The dark haired man was inches from Mae's face, and she did not like it. She dipped gracefully ignoring the pain in her stiff and aching muscles and brought her katana up under the swing of her opponent.

Another blur and he was behind her. She felt her breath slip from her lungs and she dove forward to avoid the deadly blade that sought so eagerly to cleave open her flesh. She was far too weak from blood loss to fight him, but she no longer had the option of running. Her blade, always so comfortable in her grip felt heavy and her movements sluggish. Her arm didn't seem to want to move as fast and she needed it to, and her feet seemed more clumsy then normal. All she could hear was her heart, throbbing in her ear, and all she could feel was the pain jolting up from her side, and the warmth that spilled down from it.

Her vision had lost clarity a while ago, and she was reacting on pure instinct to keep herself alive. She knew that it would be over soon.

"Come on Mae! Can't you do better then that?" the man taunted with a sneer. He laughed as he danced around her pale form, chest heaving from the effort to keep moving, keep breathing. "You're as beautiful as a dying butterfly before its wings are torn off Mae…"

A snarl escape the pale lips of the raven haired woman and she lashed out at the man who knocked her sword aside as if it were nothing. His arm moved faster then lightening and soon his long fingers were wrapped around her neck. Grasping and clawing at her attacker's arm did nothing. She drew blood and ripped skin, but he did nothing but smile.

"Dear Mae… would you like me to rip off your wings… You know it brings me such pleasure when you scream…"

Vincent could take no more. He drew Cerberus from its custom leather holster and leapt down from his perch. His feet touched the ground soundlessly behind the man as he placed the business end of his gun to the back of his head.

"Let her go." The man's grip tightened.

"I didn't know you had made a new friend Mae…" The man's voice had gone from sadistically playful to cold in an instant. "I thought I told you that _I'm_ the only one allowed to play with you." He punctuated his words by squeezing ever so slightly, crushing her windpipe.

Mae let out a pathetic gasp for air and dug her nails into the fingers assaulting her neck. Her vision slid in and out of focus and block spot appeared in the corner of her eyes.

Vincent wrapped his gold claw around the man's throat and pushed his gun harshly against the dark man's head. "Let. Her. Go." Vincent growled menacingly.

The man let out a sufferable sigh and let go of his prey. Mae fell to the ground, clutching her bruised neck and gulping in as much air as her abused windpipe would allow. Vincent watched her, momentarily distracted.

"I do not like having my prey stolen from me," the man said turning boldly despite Vincent's gun being aimed point blank at his head. "But it seems that she is no longer worth the effort of the hunt. It's not fun when she can't fight back, though it is nice to watch her squirm."

Vincent watched the glee on the man's face with disgust. The woman had crawled across the ground and retrieved her katana.

"It seems," he said, jerking Vincent's attention back to him, "that I will have to settle for you instead…"

**:: Cliff hanger! Bwahahahahaha! Feel the evilness of my evil cliffhanger!**

**Vincent: ... you have problems...**

**Me: Don't judge me!**

**Comments appreciated ::**


	2. To Run or Hide

**:: Hey! I'm back! Not that any of you care... But here's chapter two! Not alot of action I'm afraid, but you'll get that in the next chapter! Not much longer then then the first one, so I apologise for the length (or lack there of ). Comments, suggestions, and questions all appreciated. I do not own the Final Fantasy Characters but I do own any and all original characters! Yes that includes the creppy bad guy and Mae, the hapless heroine. There will eventually be romance, and stuff is going to get kinda bloody, but its all good. If you don't like bad language, gore or anything else I've forgotten to mention, you have been forewarned! (although there really isn't much in this chapter...)::**

**Chapter 2**

He moved so fast that normal humans would see only a blur, a glint of silver, and then death. Lucky for Vincent, he wasn't normal. This seemed to amuse the dark man. He liked the new found challenge, almost so much, that his forgotten prey was able to make an escape.

Mae's adrenaline numbed her to the pain and fatigue that clawed at her body. She was so close, so close… The edge of the Forgotten City bloomed before her and she almost cried with relief.

The barren trees gave way to a lush green forest, but still she did not slow. All sense of direction and rational thought flew from her mind. All it knew was that she needed to move forward, ever forward away from the beast that tracked her.

The tall man in crimson had provided the perfect distraction. She hated leaving him there to fight alone, but she knew that she would be unable to help him anyway, and sticking around to watch him die was stupid. A moment of guilt made her slow her pace, but then reason kicked in. No. She had to flee. Get as far away as possible because she would be the next target.

* * *

Vincent fell to the ground, coughing up blood and clutching at his stomach trying to hold in its contents, which were intent on spilling out all over the floor of the silent forest.

"Very nice! Invigorating, I must say." The barrage of attacks died down completely as the dark man wiped Vincent's blood from his sword. "You fight very well for a human, though, judging from that arm of yours, I doubt that all of your blood is human."

Vincent's reply was a violent series of coughs and spasms. His lungs were on fire…

"Not much of a talker eh? Oh well," he shrugged carelessly. "You provided some entertainment for me, but you are still boring compared to my little butterfly. Her blood is just so beautiful…" Vincent chocked back a growl.

The dark man ignored him and strolled forward, tapping his sword against his shoulder, glancing around idly. "Speaking of whom, it looks like she has decided to run off again." Chuckling softly to himself the man turned away.

Vincent narrowed his eyes. This man's merry search for blood was rubbing him in all the wrong ways.

"Women, you can never get them to stick around, always running off on you." The dark man shook his head conversationally then impaled Vincent with his steely gaze. "Well my friend, it has been a pleasure, but I must go and recapture my little butterfly before she fixes those broken wings of hers…" With that he turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving Vincent bleeding and broken on the ground.

"Fuck…" Vincent, now alone, pushed himself to his knees, fury and pain dominating his senses. A familiar and foreboding cry tore through his head. Chaos. The fevered rage and animalistic instinct clawed to the surface of his mind. He didn't have the strength to fight it. Chaos' dark intentions swallowed his mind. A guttural cry erupted from his mouth and Vincent could feel himself start to change.

* * *

Mae's body had had enough. She tumbled forward, exhausted. Her head met the ground with a dull thud. She didn't even feel it, floating in a haze of cold indifference. She was no longer in the forest, no, she had left that a while ago. The ocean breeze was whipping at her wild mane of hair, lifting it and throwing it down again against her face.

She dimly felt it thrash against her, the feather light touches somehow soothing. The dull grey sky above her and the choppy blue seas met with the hard dirt that lay against her cheek. The scene seemed to capture all of her senses. Black spots wavered in and out of her vision. She just watched them go. She was so tired...

A small gust of wind and a thud behind her escaped her attention.

Claws scraped against the hard earth and circled the half dead human on the ground. Chaos growled, deep and foreboding, but it did not attack the defenseless girl, instead it lay down beside her, wrapped its wing around her body, shielding her from the cold. He sat there, and waited.

* * *

"Jesus Fucking Christ Vin! What in the Hades' good graces do you think you're doing!"

The Highwind floated over the ocean, not far away from where they currently stood. Cid was glaring at Chaos who was standing over the body of a girl, covered in blood and tattered clothes. The worst part was that Chaos had just been licking the blood from the open wound on the back.

Cid's stomach fell. The rest of the group had caught up by now and were also staring at Chaos and the seemingly lifeless body of a woman at its feet.

"Aw damn Cid," Cloud said with a grimace, "Please tell me that Vincent didn't do that…" Cid spat out his cigarette butt and lit another.

"I don't know. Sure looks that way though…" Chaos growled deeply, stretched out its wings, then curled them in. It began to shift.

Tifa looked at the bloody body and put her hand to her mouth in an attempt to stop the bile rising in her throat from erupting out on to the ground. Yuffie, still stumbling away from the ship took one look and lost what was left of her lunch on the ground. Barret muttered a string of curses under his breath and rubbed her back in a comforting gesture.

"Yaw right?" She nodded shakily, not trusting herself to look back just yet.

Vincent rose from the ground, his body still trembling and burning from the change. He looked up at the horrified faces of the group, then down at the woman laying cold and still beside him. He had no memories of when he was Chaos.

Silently he reached down and checked her pulse. "She's still alive…" He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Vince," Cid said warily. "You didn't do that… did you?" Vincent looked up at Cid, anger and pain flaring through him that he would even suggest it, then bitter resentment for himself knowing that it was full well possible when he transformed to hurt the innocent. He bared his teeth, but kept his voice even.

"No. She was like this when I ran into her in the Forgotten City."

"The Forgotten City?" Cloud said with a frown. Red XIII walked calmly up to the body and nudged it gently.

"Unless someone heals her, she is going to die," he stated plainly. Tifa boldly grabbed her Cure materia and walked up to the motionless body. She rested her hand on the girl's back, close to the shocking red gash that stood out against the pale skin, white and cold from blood loss. Even after casting several spells the gash was still prominent, but color was starting to return to her skin.

Cid looked over at Vincent, the silent question hanging in the air between them._ Why was this woman in the Forgotten City?_ Vincent met his gaze, let it linger for a moment then allowed it to drift past.

"She was already injured when she reached me, pursued by a man in black, carrying a rather large sword." Cloud paled at the description, but Vincent elaborated. "He had black hair and blue eyes." The disgust was plain in Vincent's voice.

"I take it he didn't rub ya the right way," Barret said matter-of-factly. Vincent's glare said it all.

Tifa stood up and moved away from the girl. She didn't know why, but she was afraid of her. The moment she touched her, chills ran up and down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. Though, Tifa had to admit, that may just be because of the blood all over her.

* * *

Muffled voices pushed sluggishly through the fog around her mind. She was so cold… She could feel her limbs, but they seemed farther away then they should be.

A small touch on her back, and warmth spread throughout her body. It was a nice reprieve from the stabs of ice that had been assaulting her body moments before.

The reprieve was a short one though. Pins and needles poked at her body now, and a dull throbbing ach on her left side invaded her senses. The voices seemed to be getting closer now too. She groaned inwardly. Why couldn't she ever get a decent night's sleep?

_Oh well,_ she thought drearily. _Might as well see what all the racket is about…_ Opening her eyes proved to be a tough task indeed. They felt like they were glued shut. She wanted to pry them open with her hands, but her arms seemed to be weighed down with lead bricks and did not want to move. Oblivion pulled at her mind again, trying to lure it deeper into the fog, but Mae fought it this time, making a low sound in her throat to jar her senses and help her wake up.

* * *

Vincent stopped mid-sentence and looked at the girl beside him. He thought he saw her hand twitch, but she did not move again. Cid was still arguing with him about whether or not they should pursue the dark haired man, but Vincent wasn't listening any more. He heard it this time, a small sound, low and barely audible came from the frail form on the ground. Cloud seemed to have noticed this too, for his gaze was glued to the girl.

Tifa and Barret were helping Yuffie back to the Highwind, assuring her that the trip would be shorter this time. Cid was now yelling at Red XIII about how people never listen to him. Vincent was lost in his own mind.

He couldn't place it, what was bugging him so? _Why?_ he thought, his brow furrowing. _Why had Chaos come here? Why did he stay with the girl?_ He was still brooding over it when a startled cry reached his ears. He jerked his head up to see the dark haired man standing over the girl, his sword embedded in her thigh.

Cloud drew his sword and rushed the man.

"Hello my little butterfly…"

**:: Muahaha! What a creepy guy. I created him and he freaks _me_ out. Anywhoddles, Comments and Suggestions are appreciated! Cookies to all who review! ttyl::**

creepy guy. I created him and he freaks me out. Anywhoddles, Comments and Suggestions are appreciated! Cookies to all who review! ttyl::z


	3. The Hunter

**:: Chapter three is here! *Does victory dance* Lots of action, bit of blood, not alot of bad language, but reated M to be safe. COMMENTS ARE BEGGED FOR! Look what you've done! I've resorted to begging. Shame on me!**

**Evil Bad Guy: I for one think your begging is quite funny.**

**Me: Oh hush up...**

**Evil Bad Guy: Why is my name evil bad guy?**

**Me: Because I said so :P**

**Read and Review! Please... *cries***

**Chapter 3**

Mae had just managed to open her one eye when pain once again invaded her senses. She gave an involuntary yelp as fire raced up her thigh, and jerked her head up to look at her attacker with bloodshot eyes.

"Hello my little butterfly…" The voice sent a wave of icy fear down her spine. Mae grabbed the blade to pull it out of her leg, but her attacker did it for her, slicing open her hand as well. A blond spiky haired man wielding a ridiculously large sword attacked the blue eyed freak and pushed him back.

Mae looked around for her katana. It was to her right… along with a curious set of feet with a crimson red cape billowing about them in the strong sea breeze.

Mae looked up into dark ruby colored eyes. "You're still alive…" she rasped, a bit taken aback by how raw and scratchy her throat was.

"I could say the same to you," came the dark reply. Vincent stared at the woman in a kind of dazed wonder. Even beaten and bloody she kept a formidable fire burning in her eyes; a clear warning that she wasn't down for the count yet.

"I have had enough of your stupid games." Vincent found him self drawn from his thoughts by a surprised gasp.

Cloud flew back his sword held out in front of him defensively. He nearly tripped over the stunned woman, and barely managed to land on his feet. _Kuso…_ he thought angrily. This dark haired man was stronger then he looked. The said man gave a proud smirk.

"Get back…" The soft voice, raw from abuse commanded. The raven haired woman stood slowly, katana in hand.

Her leg burned and her vision blurred before her. She could feel her self sway and nausea racked her stomach. She gritted her teeth and steadied her form.

That bastard would _not _get the pleasure of seeing her showing weakness. Her eyes locked on and did not stray from the dark haired man. Loathing filled her heart, infecting it like a disease.

"So we want to play again," he said with a devilish grin. Ugh, she hated that grin, how it wound its ways onto his face and its mocking laughter filled his eyes. "You seem to like getting abused my little butterfly."

"Stop calling me that!" She had wanted to yell, sound angry or intimidating, but it came out sounding raspy, quiet and sedated. He laughed.

"I happen to like your nickname, love." She hated the way he rolled his voice so sickeningly sweet when he talked to her. Made her want to vomit.

"You're a sick bastard…" He made a moue and feigned hurt at her words.

"Oh! Such a feisty butterfly I have!" He started to circle her. She followed. No way in hell was she going to let him get behind her. "Beaten and broken and yet your wings still flutter hopelessly. What do you hope to accomplish?"

"My only wish is to see you dead." More laughter greeted this, flaming her anger.

"Such hatred for your master…"

"Fuck you!"

"With pleasure!" He rushed Mae, whose reaction time was, thankfully, starting to recuperate. She was still deathly pale and her lips were as white as the rest of her skin, giving her a ghostly look.

The livid gash curving over her abdomen and coming to rest on her shoulder pulsed with pain every time she parried one of his attacks. She tightened her grip on her beloved katana, ignoring the residual sting from her hands.

_Damn him! _she thought angrily. _I should have known not to touch that evil sword._ Mae felt her anger building. It's fire began drown out her fatigue and pain, winding its way up her body and into her chest. She burned for blood, his blood.

With a grunt she pushed her reserve of energy into her sword and released it as their swords connected once again. This time however the dark haired man was pushed back. Mae slashed again and he gave even more ground. She didn't care that he still wore that arrogant smirk. She didn't care if he was just playing with her, biding his time. One last burst of energy and he was knocked back far enough.

Mae turned to the group of warriors. "Get out of here!" Mixed responses greeted that. Cid scoffed and muttered something about self righteous woman, Vincent just stood there, Tifa glanced at Cloud. Cloud shook his head.

"No. If this man is a threat he must be dealt with now." Yuffie backed that up with hoots and hollers, while Barret yelled at her to shut the hell up. Mae bared her teeth and glared at them.

_Ignorant morons!_ She thought angrily. _They have no clue what they're up against!_

"You are going to get yourself killed!" she cried passionately.

"Why help them, pet." Mae flinched. "Forget them. I will tear them to shreds after we are done playing, shall I?" Mae spun on her heel to glare at the frigid bastard. He was leaning against his sword waiting for her to finish.

Anger and shame battled in her. She could not protect these people. She couldn't even protect herself.

Cid's string of curses and suggestions about where he would like to tear him almost made her smile. As it was her hunter seemed to be slightly annoyed by the older man's suggestions. Now _that_ made her smile. Too bad it irritated him even more.

"I will wipe that smirk off of your face and make you scream until your vocal chords rip." His venom laced voice shocked her. She'd only ever seen him that angry once, and it was right after she had given him the scar that rested ever so faintly on his right cheek.

The hunter appeared right in front of his prey and slashed down brutally. Mae barely blocked it, crying out in shock and strain. The force of the blow made her arm go numb. But he wasn't done.

Blow after blow she was backed towards the edge of the rocks. They were quite a bit above sea level, and falling over would not be a pleasant experience. She was dimly aware of the gunshots flying at the hunter's back and the clash of his sword against other weapons. She had to do something quick.

Ducking under a particularly brutal swing she twirled her katana up to her side and over her back blocking another attempt to slice her open and then slashed at his ankles. Her precious sword found only air as the angry hunter danced agilely over her blade.

Recovering quickly, Mae rolled to the side and dove with all of her strength at the hunter's exposed side. He disappeared and her sword found no resistance. It sliced through empty air and into the exposed side of another.

Cloud let out a harsh cry as the katana bit into his side. It didn't go deep, but the distraction it caused allowed the dark man to appear behind him and drive his sword through Cloud's stomach.

Tifa screamed. Yuffie gave an anguished cry and leapt onto the back of the dark man, swinging wildly with her shuriken. Cid attacked the hunter head on, making up new curses as he went. Red XIII latched on to the dark man's leg and proceeded to rip it open. Vincent snarled, shooting whenever he got an opening. Barret went to pull the sword out. Mae beat him to it.

She placed her foot on the small of Cloud's back and pushed as she clung onto the sword and felt it give way, sliding out of Cloud's body with a nasty sucking sound. Barret caught his limp body, cursing her. She ignored him and ran over to Tifa who was still screaming.

Mae didn't have the patience nor the time to try and calm her, so she reared back and slapped her across the face. Tifa stopped and stared at her with an expression somewhere between shock and outrage.

"Go heal him!"

Tifa, shaken, pushed past her and ran to Cloud.

A blinding light drew Mae's attention back to the fight. Yuffie was thrown back from the blast, but landed deftly on her hands before tumbling to safety. Red XIII bounded back and circled waiting for another chance. Cid was knocked into Barret and they tumbled over a twisted pile of flailing limbs. Cid's Venus Gospel embedded in the ground not far from where Yuffie stood. Vincent had barely managed to shield himself, his metal claw blazing in the light.

Mae was surprised to see blood covering the hunter. His one leg had a nice chunk of flesh torn open and his torso was riddled with small cuts. She felt a surge of hope fill her chest. It didn't last.

The dark haired man spit blood on the ground and turned to face them. "I have had enough play for today. You are lucky little Mae. I hope you're friends stick around. I won't be out to play next time." With that another vicious smile spread across that arrogant face. "Cure," he said and, to Mae's horror, all of the cuts and gashes were erased as if they had never been. It made her want to cry. "Until next time…" Another blinding flash of light tore through the sky and he was gone.

**:: Not really a cliffhanger... But hey, maybe I'll throw one at you next time. No romance yet, but I will get to it! So yeah... Creepy bad guy... I uh... don't have anything left to say O.o The mind reels... ::**


	4. Of Grease and Potatoes

**::Finally! Comments! *Does victory dance* Cookies for Obsessed Angel *shoves cookies down her throat* Wohoo! What is this talk of Reno? A fan are we? Well, maybe if I get more comments I'll put him in the story for you. A little guest appearance later in the fic .**

**Reno: I get to be in the fic!**

**Me: Maybe...**

**Reno: Do I get to blow stuff up?**

**Me: No. ... Maybe... hehe**

**Anywho, read review, leaves lots of comments. Suggestions and ideas are welcome and encouraged!::**

**Chapter 4 - Of Grease and Potatoes**

"Bitch!" Yuffie screamed. Mae backed away from her angry snarl. "Why the fuck did you hit Cloud?" Mae's eyes were as wide as saucers and she grouped frantically for an answer.

"It was an accident…" Her cheek still stung where Yuffie had slapped her. Cid grabbed her shoulders and drug away the young ninja kicking and screaming. Cloud was leaning up against a rock as Barret and Tifa cured him repeatedly. Red XIII had returned to the Airship to retrieve the first aid kit. Vincent watched the blond pilot haul Yuffie into the arms of some of the braver mechanics who had come down to see what the commotion was.

"I didn't mean to…" Mae could feel her face burning and not just because of the slap Yuffie had given her. She felt just horrible for stabbing Cloud. She had tried to stop but…

"Don't worry about it," Cid said patting her un-injured shoulder roughly. "We know ya didn't mean it…" Mae looked up into the friendly blue eyes of the older pilot.

"Thank you…" She gathered up her courage and marched over to Cloud. Barret gave her a dirty look, but Tifa gave her a weak smile. Cloud was almost healed, but center of the wound was being stubborn. Mae pulled out an unusually bright Cure materia and focused the energy on the trouble spot. It healed over without a scar.

"Thank you," Cloud said gratefully. Mae nodded shyly and turned to leave. The group watched her go, but Cid, chewing thoughtfully on the end of his cigarette stopped her.

"You know anything about airships?" Mae looked at Cid suspiciously.

"Yes…" She answered cautiously. "I used to work maintenance at Junon for the presidents' personal helicopter. They had an airship there. I never got to see it, but we had to take a basic course on it." Cid grinned.

"Great! Come with me and I'll give you the grand tour!" Mae opened her mouth to protest, but though better of it. She looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group. They were all watching her avidly.

Nervous under such scrutiny, Mae quickly turned back. Cid was happily chatting away about engine parts and propellers. She followed him inside, cringing as he cursed at the mechanics to get their asses back to work.

She did not want to join the group. It would put them in danger, not to mention she didn't think they all were thinking warm and fuzzy thoughts about her at the moment. After all she did injure one of their own. A mistake brought on by fatigue and poor planning, but a foolish one at that.

Guilt plagued her mind. She worried her bottom lip, barely listening to Cid prattle on about the interior workings of his airship. Cid must have noticed how uncomfortable she was, because he stopped talking and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't worry about the others. They'll warm up to you." Mae looked up at the pilot with world weary eyes. Cid was surprised at how much pain lingered behind her gaze.

"I'm more worried about what might happen to them if I stick around." Mae turned, looking out into the sunrise. "He will come back, and the next time he'll pull no punches." Cid sighed and let her go.

"You should give us more credit. We can take care of ourselves." Mae's eyes flitted back to the pilot. Her pupils contracted in the light, leaving her eyes startlingly blue.

"You don't know what you're up against." Cid was slightly unnerved by the dead pan tone in her voice, but it soon turned to aggravation.

"You're right, we don't know the limit of his strength, but I can assure you that we know how to handle ourselves." Mae's eyes narrowed, but Cid stopped her before she could speak. "It is not up to you anyway," he said heatedly. "You are now a guest on my ship and I've placed you under my protection for the time being. Now I don't care what you do once you're gone, but until then you worry about fixin' yourself up."

Mae felt her anger flare up at his statement. She didn't need anyone to protect her. She had done well enough on her own. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. She knew that he meant only to help her, and from the looks of it, fighting him on that point would be useless. So, Mae closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead willing the pressure building behind her eyes to go away.

Cid, satisfied that he had gotten his point across, steered her gently towards the infirmary to get her wounds taken care of.

Cloud had waited until Cid had ushered the girl inside the airship before addressing Vincent.

"Vincent."

"Hmm?"

"What are we going to do about the girl?" Vincent stood silent, the wind whipping his cape around his legs, billowing incessantly. He narrowed his eyes.

"If she stays with us, that man will eventually seek her out again." Cloud sighed.

"He is a threat…" Vincent left him to ponder the problem on his own. Curiosity was getting the better of him.

Yuffie watched Vincent walk calmly towards the airship. She had seen his unnatural interest in the girl. She didn't like it. Jealousy, thick and toxic wound its way around her heart, fueled by anger. She grasped her katana tightly in her hand. She would not act out against the girl. Not yet. She would wait for her to make a wrong move, then strike with deadly accuracy.

* * *

The whirr of machinery was a comforting din of noise. Mae wiped her forehead and put down the wrench. Cid had wasted no time putting her to work. Once she finished tinkering with the generator, she was going to find something to drink. She licked her dry lips and reached into the greasy tool box.

At least he had given her a chance to patch herself up and a change of clothes before sending her to work down here. She had consumed a few potions, and, as nasty as they were, they had taken away a good proportion of her pain. Her leg had still required a bandage, and her hands still tingled, but the cuts had pretty much closed up.

The wound that traveled up her side however was a different story. It had stopped bleeding, but it still bothered her perpetually. It was too large to bandage without assistance from someone else, and it was still pretty fresh.

She adjusted the overly large button up shirt she had on. It dwarfed her small framed and made her look like a small child in her parent's clothes, but it did not rub on her wound to much, and for that she was grateful.

Mae hooked a bolt with the wrench and pulled as hard as she could. A splitting pain shot up her side, but she ignored it.

It didn't move so she placed her feet against a piece of metal jutting out from the side, arched her spine and, with a grunt, applied all of her body strength. It jolted to the side and she flew onto her back. She curled her hand around her injured side and waited for the throbbing to stop.

She brought her hands to her face, glad she had worn gloves. They were covered in grease. There was a dark hand print where she had clutched her side, and a good amount of smudges covering her pants as well.

"Ugh… now I really look like a grease monkey." A group of condescending laughter reached her ears and she looked over to see she had an audience. "Great," she mumbled.

Mae groused and grumbled as she put the tools back and headed to the locker rooms. One had a blue door with the universal symbol for male with crudely drawn extra bits on it, and the other had a picture with a half naked girl on it.

Mae tore down the picture of the girl and roughly pushed the door open. She took off the baggy pants that were falling off of her even _after_ Cid had given her a belt, and put on her own pants.

They still had blood on them and needed to be washed, but, with another sigh, she put them on. She'd rather look a little dirty then walk around constantly struggling to keep her pants from falling down. She thought about taking off the shirt, but a quick look at what was left of hers made up her mind.

The tattered remains of her shirt could barely pass as a rag let alone a shirt. She tossed it a green waste can near the door. She would need to get some new clothes. With a quick use of the cure materia on her side and leg she headed for the door.

As she was leaving the room she noticed a small sowing kit in one of the open lockers. Mae glanced down at her pants. The left leg of her jeans was torn, but not tattered enough that she couldn't mend it. She grabbed it and climbed up the latter into the upper regions of the airship. She reached the top of the latter and set down the kit before hauling herself onto more solid ground. She looked up and almost leaped back into the pit.

Vincent Valentine towered over her, staring taciturnly. Mae willed her heart to slow down and not make so much noise. "Hello," she said weakly. "You scared me there for a moment…"

"…" Vincent stared down as the raven haired woman. She had on the tattered blood stained jeans from before, but had done away with her other shirt in favor of a large grease stained button up.

She had a small bit of grease on the side of her nose and a smudge mark on her forehead. Cute. He startled himself with that thought, but he couldn't deny how unbelievably cute it looked. He wanted to reach down and wipe it from her face… He shook his head. What was he thinking?

Mae cleared her throat.

"Well, I'll uh… go now." And with that grabbed her kit and half walked half ran to the bridge. Vincent stood, watching long after she had disappeared.

* * *

Cid was standing near the helm of the ship smoking a cigarette and arguing with Cloud. Red XIII was laying calmly to the side, his head on his paws.

"… could go there…"

"No," said Cloud. "We can't go back to 7th Heaven if this guy is as brazen as I think he is. He won't mind hurting innocents to get to us. If we're going to dock somewhere it needs to be remote."

"Yeah, well, that's all fine and dandy, but I need to restock _and_ refuel, and parkin' this baby in the middle of nowhere isn't going to get that done." Cloud slammed his fist on the railing angrily.

"We'll only be putting other people in danger!"

"Do you really think he's going to catch up to us that quickly? Jesus Cloud! We're heading two continents away from where we left the bastard!" Mae cleared her throat timidly. The two men stopped arguing. Red XIII looked up and watched the woman with interest.

"Umm, he's right… No matter where you dock he will find you." Her voice slowly gained strength and conviction as she spoke. "If you dock in a town, he probably won't hurt any innocents unless they get in his way, but he will target specific people if he thinks it will hurt you..." Cloud seemed to mull this over.

"What do you mean specific people?"

"Family, friends, anyone he sees you become friendly with." Cloud frowned.

"Going back to where Marlene and Denzel are would be stupid then. How about Wutai?"

"Yuffie's family is there, don't want to put them in danger."

"Calm?"

"How about Nibelheim…" Vincent's dark voice and quiet entrance startled Mae. Cloud and Cid seemed unperturbed though.

"Well, it is secluded…"

"And pretty much a ghost town…" Cid rubbed his stubble thoughtfully. "But it still won't get me the supplies I need… What's that guys deal anyway? Who the hell is he?" Cloud turned his piercing gaze towards Mae.

"Yes," Red XIII said from his corner. "You have neglected to tell us who this man is and why he chases you. You haven't even told us who you are." Mae flinched at the accusing tone. For the moment she chose to ignore the question about her identity.

"His name is Reixez. He hunts me for no other reason but that it brings him pleasure. He's a sick bastard who claims to be a bounty hunter. I had a small bounty on my head a while back because of a helicopter I had worked on. It malfunctioned and crashed." Mae laughed ruefully. "It was carrying some top secret documentation. Shear dumb luck that he chose my name off of the roster. He tells me all the time that I bring him so much joy because I have lasted the longest, caused him the most difficulty."

"He doesn't just go after his bounty, but also after anyone that is special to the one he hunts." Mae bared her teeth angrily at her feet and suppressed a growl of rage. "Bastard killed my whole fucking family. Tried to kill my friends, but I managed to get word to them. They went into hiding. I haven't heard from the since. Ever once in a while I will ask around to see if they are alive, but they've hidden themselves well. The only reason I still have hope that they're alive is because Reixez has yet to taunt me with their deaths."

Cid let out a string of curses, Cloud just gapped in open mouthed shock. Mae could feel the shame of loss creep its way up her throat and firmly squashed it. She would show these brave people no weakness.

Red XIII's eyes narrowed. Something about the girl bothered him. When her anger had flared… he could have sworn he sensed something. He did not trust her in the least.

"If you stay too long around me, he will target you as well. I think," she said holding Cloud's gaze strongly, "that maybe it would be better if you dropped me off before you reach the city to plan to dock at, so that I may go a different way. He will follow me instead."

Cloud was shaking his head even before she stopped. "Bounty hunter or no, this man Reixez is a threat and a cold blooded murderer, and I think it would be in everyone's best interest if someone hunted him down for a change."

"You can't. Shinra will be all over you…"

"Shinra! He works for Shinra?"

"No. Well… not really. He works independently, but collects the bounty money from ex-Shinra employees who formed a new corporation called MAKO. He takes most of his assignments from them."

"MAKO, huh," Cloud said thoughtfully.

"Can't say they're very original," Cid said with a scowl.

"It doesn't matter. Reixez won't fight you head on anyway. He will pick you off one by one and then kill you while you mourn your dead."

"Cowardly bastard ain't he." Cid threw down his cigarette and rubbed it out with his foot. "And you're right, it doesn't matter. No matter what you say, I'm docking my ship and getting supplies and fuel, and you kiddies are sticking around to help."

"But…" Mae started.

"No buts!" Cid said forcefully. Mae gritted her teeth and silently cursed the pilot.

"Cid is right," Vincent piped up. "If what you say is correct he has probably already targeted us. It would be unwise to split up."

"Finally! Someone who makes sense," Cid groused. "Yo Vin, go tell Tifa to cook something up I'm starving." Vincent nodded. His boots clinked dully on the stairs as he went down. "And you, Mae, should go with him."

"Me? But why?"

"Yer a woman, go help her cook."

Mae turned and followed Vincent obediently, not bothering to hide her discontent.

"Do you think she was telling the truth?" Cloud said.

"'Bout what?" Cid lit a match and placed it to the end of a new cigarette.

"Why he was after her…" He turned to look at Cid. The pilot had a calculating gleam in his eye.

"Heh, nope," he said taking a long drag. "Screwy maintenance work doesn't get a bounty placed on your head."

"Didn't think so…"

* * *

Mae was still grumbling under her breath about a certain sexist pilot when Tifa strolled into the kitchen wearing an apron and dragging a very unhappy Vincent Valentine behind her minus his cape. He too was wearing an apron, though unlike Tifa's plain white one, his had "Kiss the cook" written in big bold letters on it.

Mae suppressed the maddening urge to giggle and went back to rolling the dough for their dinner bread on the counter. Tifa smiled at her. It was slightly strained, but Mae couldn't blame her. Tifa gave Vincent the task of peeling potatoes and started pulling out pots and pans.

"I'm going to have to lend you some of my clothes until we get to Junon," she said running a critical eye over Mae's attire. Mae looked down at the large shirt and gave a half hearted grimace.

"I look like a little kid in this stuff." She pulled it away from her to examine the various stains on it. "A dirty kid." Tifa couldn't help but laugh. The tension in the room quickly dissipated after that.

Vincent watched the mysterious woman before him, captivated by the way her hair fell in her face and her cerulean eyes danced when she smiled. The shirt was way too big on her, and made her look fragile and childlike, though he knew differently.

His mind flashed back to when they were in the forest and her blood flowed from pale glowing skin. He remembered the strength with which she fought even though she had lost so much blood. Her appearance was very misleading.

"Ah! I forgot the carrots!" Tifa said and rushed out of the kitchen. Mae shook her head with a smile and placed the dough into the oven. She wiped her hands on a towel and sat down next to Vincent who was staring off into space. Mae waved her hand in front of his face.

"Helloooooo." Vincent blinked and looked at her. "You're supposed to be peeling the potatoes." He looked down at the half peeled potato in his hand.

"Oh. Sorry." Mae grabbed a potato and a peeler.

"Don't worry about it," she said absently. "I just figured you'd want to avoid Tifa getting upset because we didn't peel enough potatoes." Vincent went back to work, glancing at Mae every few minutes. She studiously ignored him.

"Got 'em!" Tifa announced victoriously. She dropped the bag of carrots on the table and went back to chopping onions. "Mmm, that bread smells good. Can't wait until it's done."

* * *

They had dined shortly after introductions were made. Mae had fidgeted under the heated stares of both Yuffie and Red XIII. The giant fiery cat had been watching her ever since. She had given her name to the group, but not much else. She had no desire to get to close to any of them.

They sat down to dinner.

It wasn't long before Mae's stomach was comfortably full. The group sat at the large table, laughing and talking about life and aspiring plans. A lot of the talk seemed to center around a place called 7th Heaven and two rascals named Marlene and Denzel.

Mae was warm and tired and sat half asleep at her chair, not really listening. After nodding off twice she got up and excused herself, saying she was tired. Unsure of where the sleeping quarters were, Mae headed instead for the Chocobo stables. She had seen them earlier on her way back from the bridge.

She was about to turn for them when a dark shape pushed her roughly against the wall. A pair of angry brown eyes stared into her own.

"You may have fooled the others, but I don't trust you as far as I can throw you," Yuffie snarled. Mae felt residual anger at the corner of her mind, but ignored it.

"I don't care if you trust me or not. I don't want trouble..."

"You are trouble! If anyone else gets hurt because of you…" Vincent grabbed Yuffie's shoulder and pulled her away.

"Go to bed Yuffie."

"But…"

"Now." Yuffie's face turned red from anger.

"Why are you protecting her! She could be in cahoots with him!" Vincent sighed.

"Yeah I helped him kill everyone who mattered to me," Mae said vindictively. "It was fun earning a new scar!" She pulled up the loose shirt to reveal the livid scar that ran up her torso. Yuffie growled and ran away. Mae let the air out of her lungs and pushed the fiery anger welling in her chest away.

"I'm sorry," came the soft reply. Mae looked up wearily at Vincent. He drew his breath in sharply. The moon light caught her eyes just so, and they seemed to gleam like glittering jewels in the night.

"Thank you." And with that she was gone.

**:: No cliff hanger :'( Oh well, maybe next time. COMMENT! I beg uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! I'll cry and have to leave Reno out of my fic ... No Comments! No Reno! Muahahahahaha!**

**Reno: But I wanna be in the fic...**


	5. To Sleep or Move

**:: I'm baaaaaack! Not that you non-reviews care! So disappointed *cries on Vincent's shoulder* Now I'm so depressed I feel like killing off a character.. *sniff sniff***

**Vincent: O.O'**

**Me: I wonder who I should kill off... Reno? Maybe... ::**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy Characters, but I do own any and all OCs! Touch them and you will feel the wrath of my evil cookies of doom!**

**Chapter 5**

_Screams, ripped through the silence. Wild cries of pain and fear. God it hurt. Why did it hurt? Flashes of lightning, trailed by loud booming thunder, frantic running, mindless, panicked._

"_I'm sorry… so sorry…" warm tears rolled down her face as she ran, ever so slowly towards the screams. Horror, black and sickening coiled around her chest and throat. Sobs, choking and violent escaped her, racking her body. Dreading what she would find, praying that she could help, if only her thrice damned legs would move faster. Faster, faster!_

"_Oh god I'm coming…" She pushed her resisting legs, weak from fear and pain through the thick fog wound around her ankles. It felt like she was running through molasses, thick and caked around her legs._

_The sky was ominously dark. Moisture hung in the air, heavy and oppressive, robbing her of her ability to breath._

_In the distance she saw the house, small and quaint, the only house on the lonely expanse of land. It's normally bright blue paint was faded and worn, and the windows were coated with blood spatter._

"_Oh god…" The words spilled from her lips as she clawed and drug her way up the steps to the porch. Her hands slipped and she fell forward. Blood. Blood everywhere. Mae pushed herself up, fighting the weight holding her body down. She threw open the door and screamed._

With a soundless cry Mae jerked awake, fear and panic running thick through her blood. Incoherence and confusion slowly overrode those emotions when she noticed the yellow ball of feathers sitting in front of her. Memories flooded back like a warm blanket and washed the cold black terror away and Mae felt her head touch the hay before darkness claimed her again.

The second time Mae woke she was not alone. The presence was not threatening, so she took her time sifting through the soothing blankets of sleep that had wrapped themselves around her mind. She felt the air flow in and out of her lungs, unobstructed, fresh and clean and wondered if her visitor would mind if she dozed for a bit…

* * *

Vincent watched the steady rise and fall of Mae's chest. She was curled up in a ball, next to one of the mother Chocobo's who had recently given birth. The baby Chocobo was nestled quite comfortably under Mae's chin pecking playfully at a strand of silky black hair. He smiled as the mother Chocobo nuzzled both her Chocobo child and her adoptive human one before fluffing her feathers for a nap.

His smile faded however when he remembered the silent scream that had woken him from his slumber in the middle of the night. He was almost positive that the mental cry had come from the sleeping girl before him. No one else had ever voiced their demons so strongly before. Cloud's nightmares sometimes called to him in the night, but this scream he had recognized as female. He had thought maybe Tifa, but her dreams were usually filled with whimpering instead of out right cries.

This had been a blood curdling scream, shear pain and terror.

The slumbering female before him though, looked sedate and peaceful now. When he had woken he had immediately run towards the source, but the connection was broken abruptly leaving him confused and dazed standing outside his bedroom. It didn't take him long to find her, though she had already fallen asleep again.

Vincent sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. So much for a good night's sleep.

* * *

Mae decided it was time to get up when the sun's light moved over her face and stabbed into her eyes, driving in the fact that yes, it was morning, and yes, she needed to get up now.

Mae arched her back and stretched, disturbing the baby Chocobo that was now squeaking indignantly against her chest. Her cramped muscles pulled and relaxed, and her back cracked loudly.

"Good morning." Mae rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared blearily at her visitor. The light from the single window in the stables fell tenderly on Vincent's hair, making it look soft and glossy. His eyes reflected bloody fire in the golden ray that streamed from the window. He was wearing a loose fitted short sleeved night shirt and baggy pants and was reclining comfortably on a bale of hay, pieces of which were caught in his hair. Mae found that she couldn't look away.

Vincent was having a similar problem, unable to tear his eyes away from the disheveled looking woman before him. The top few buttons of the shirt had come undone while she was sleeping, revealing a good amount of smooth skin. Her hair was a nest of velvet curls that fell in her heart shaped face, which was dominated by her glowing aqua eyes. She looked like a wild fairy that had lost her wings.

Vincent grimaced inwardly. Now he was starting to sound like that maniac who was following her.

Mae looked away from Vincent's blood red eyes shyly when she realized she was staring. Vincent hadn't seemed to notice.

"Morning," she said with a small smile. A soft coo signaled the return of the ball of fluffy feathers. Mae smiled as the little fluff ball tried to crawl inside of her shirt. "Hey there! Knock it off squirt!" She giggled and tried to grab the baby Chocobo squirming around under her shirt.

The mother Chocobo sensed her peril and grabbed the tail feathers sticking out. She plucked up her baby and set it down in a soft pile of hay. The baby squawked its displeasure at having been removed from its warm hiding place and plunged into the hay.

Vincent watched this with amusement. Mae caught his smile and shook her finger at him. "Bad Vincent, no laughing!"

"I'm not laughing," he said, humor lacing his voice.

"You might as well be!" Mae said with mock anger. Vincent's smile broadened and Mae laughed. He had a beautiful smile.

Silence soon took hold of them. Mea cleared her throat.

"Um… well, I'm going to go find Tifa and take her up on her offer to give me some of her clothes." She stood up, dusting herself off. "I'll see you later ok?"

Vincent stood up suddenly, intent on stopping her. Mae looked surprised, but waited patiently. Vincent, shocked at his own actions, stood there, unsure of what to do next.

_What am I doing? _he thought with a ting of panic. Mae was staring at him expectantly and he couldn't even remember why he stood up in the first place.

"Vincent? Are you ok?" Vincent's head shot up.

"I… uh… just remembered I have to do something… Excuse me." He made to move past her, but Mae grabbed his arm. He turned, suppressing a strange flutter in his chest and stood dumbfounded when Mae carefully plucked a strand of straw from his hair.

"There," she said with a smile. "Well good luck, I'll see you later." And with that she walked out of the door, leaving Vincent staring after her in a kind of dazed wonderment.

* * *

By the time Mae was done rooting through clothes with Tifa, she was in serious need of a shower. Tifa graciously offered her use of her bathroom. Mae wasted no time taking her up on her offer. She peeled off her dirty clothes and quickly stepped into the shower, sighing in pure pleasure as the hot water ran through her hair and down her body. She took her time, carefully cleaning her leg wound and the gash that wound its way around her left side.

The wound on her leg was doing well. It wouldn't be long before it was completely gone. A few more uses of the cure materia and it would be just another scar. The wound on her side however was being as testy as ever. It burned under the spray of water. Mae did her best to ignore it. The pleasure of having a nice warm shower was not to be ruined.

After a while she reluctantly stepped out and toweled herself dry. She ran a comb through her hair, and fluffed it up, letting it do its own thing. It would do it anyway.

Mae wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at herself. She looked horrible. Better then she did, but still pretty bad. She had dark circles under her eyes, and was still very pale. The wound on her side was bleeding again.

As she shifted to see it better in the mirror she caught sight of an inflamed red tattoo on her back. It was a circle with a single slash through it and ringed by runes. Mae leaned her head against the mirror and sighed. The sooner she got away the better. The last thing she needed was for one of them to see _that _particular aspect of her life.

Mae closed her eyes and felt herself drifting. She was promptly yanked back to earth when Tifa knocked on the bathroom door. Startled, Mae replied with a rather shaky voice.

"Yes?"

"Are you ok in there?" Mae was surprised to hear a bit of concern in the woman's voice.

"Yes I'm fine," she said a bit stronger this time.

"Ok. Just wanted to let you know that we've reached Junon. It might get a little rough in a bit because Cid still hasn't learned how to stop this thing at a decent speed." Mae smiled at the joking tone in the other woman's voice and proceeded to dress herself in the borrowed clothes.

* * *

Tifa had given her an old black tank top and a pair of black leather pants with a silver link belt and various buckles hanging off it. It was a bit flashy for Mae, but it was essential that she wear black, so it would have to do. Mae also borrowed a small tan back pack and put the sowing kit she found in it along with a pocket knife and a few other items including her pants. She would get around to sowing them eventually.

They had access to the air port in Junon and had settled the Shera there. To make sure that the inhabitants of the Shera stayed safe, Yuffie and Barret were left on guard duty. If Reixez showed up, they'd call the rest of the group via cell phone and hold him off for as long as possible.

Cid walked over to the rest of the group, and casually flicked the ash from his cigarette. "All right kiddies, listen up. Tifa will go with Cloud to get food and other odds and ends from this list," he handed them a piece of paper with barely legible chicken scratch. "Red will stay with me and help with refueling, and Vincent and Mae will go to the junk shop and get me a special part." He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a rumpled piece of paper with a giant tea stain on it. "Give this to Tim at the shop. He'll know what to do."

Cid swung his Venus Gospel over his shoulder. "Come on Red, let's go!" Red followed obediently behind Cid, shooting suspicious glances at Mae as he went.

Mae pretended not to see him, but inside she was resisting the urge to flee. Her mark still burned from her dream. It would fade, hopefully be gone by the end of the day, but Mae still worried. The fiery cat put her on edge.

"Mae…" Mae jumped at the deep rumble. She looked over to Vincent who was watching her almost as intently as Red XIII had.

"Yes?" she said trying to cover up her unease. Vincent narrowed his eyes, catching the small hitch in her voice. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"Never mind. Let's go." He turned and walked into the busy streets of Junon. Mae followed behind him, her eyes flitting from left to right, checking the face of every person that passed them. She was decidedly on edge thanks to Red's suspicion of her, and her heart leaped every time one of the city folk dared a glance.

Mae had the distinct urge to scoot closer to Vincent, and almost slapped herself for it. She was not dependent on anyone. She would never become dependent on anyone, not now, not ever. She growled at herself and moved further behind Vincent.

It was then that she noticed that the people that she thought were glancing at her… well, they weren't. They were looking at Vincent. Mae watched their eyes, how they flitted to him, and back again, with fear.

Fear. They feared him. Mae grew angry. She didn't know why, but it disturbed her that they looked at him that way, because he was different. She growled at the next person who gave him that fearful look. The poor older man jumped at the rough sound and fell all over himself trying to get away.

Vincent turned and raised a questioning eye brow. Mae crossed her arms and looked away. Vincent could see her blush and he felt the tiniest grin form on his face. Mae just scoffed and walked past him, intent on getting to the junk shop and back to the ship as soon as possible.

Vincent chuckled at her embarrassed frustration and took his time following her. She glanced back several times, each look urging him to move faster. He was glad his cloak hid most of his face, because he was almost positive that she would have attacked him by now for finding amusement in her plight.

* * *

Red XIII watched Cid haggle prices with the manager of the gas station, his tail twitching back and forth impatiently. The feisty pilot had been going at it with the man for a good while now. Red had no clue why the pilot had him come with him. He was of no use here. All he really wanted to do was tail that human woman, Mae, because he had his suspicions that she was not what she seemed.

Red's whiskers twitch and he bared his teeth in a grimace. The stench of gasoline was pervading his delicate senses and giving him a nauseating headache. Any other time he would be patient with Cid's antics, but between his fervent desire to tail the woman and the choking stench of gasoline, he was rapidly losing his calm.

"Cid," he said grabbing the pilot's attention. "I'm going to check on the others, I'll meet you back at the ship." Before Cid could respond he turned tail and ran towards the city.

"Red? Red!" Cid tried to go after the retreating form of Red XIII, but the angry manager grabbed a hold of his jacket.

"Now wait a minute there, you still haven't paid for yer gas!" Cid growled and went back to haggling with the irate manager. He inwardly cursed Red's impatience, and set aside a mental note to have a talk with him about it later.

* * *

Ding! Ding! The chime of the little rusted bell above the rotted door announced the arrival of Vincent and Mae. Much to their dismay, the run down junk shop was located in a rather seedy section of town.

Mae had resumed her inspection of people once she noticed that they were no longer looking at Vincent with fear, but at both of them with an appraising look. Probably wondering how heavy their wallets were. After a few blocks of that, Mae had kept one hand on her katana, and the other on the strap on the tiny back pack she had borrowed from Tifa.

Vincent had stopped trailing behind her at one point, apparently noticing the amount of attention they were gathering, and placed his arm around hers.

She had stiffened under the familiar touch, but had soon relaxed, chocking it up to the male tendency to want to protect. She would allow him to think he was protecting her. Secretly she enjoyed the fact that he cared enough to even consider her, but she would never admit it, least of all to herself. She ignored the little bit of warmth that settled in her chest.

Vincent was surprised that Mae allowed the protecting gesture from him. He hadn't missed the way her body stiffened at his touch, but he was pleased when she relaxed. He enjoyed the way her skin felt when he'd gently grabbed her arm to intertwine it with his. He had never been more grateful to have a fingerless glove. He was sure that somewhere in his heart he felt guilty for taking pleasure from this simple act, but as of the moment he chose to ignore it.

As soon as they reached the junk shop though, Mae had broken free of his hold and quickly opened the door to the dilapidated shop.

It was dimly lit and smelled of grease and moth balls. A hunched over old man with bushy eyes brows was standing behind a dirty old counter looking at a gaudy watch with a magnifying glass.

The old man, who Mae suspected to be the infamous Tim, looked almost as dilapidated as his shop. His clothes were patched and dirty and his nails yellow and broken. He had a rather large mole sitting on top of one of the folds on his face, and his shoulders were large and knobby looking.

He didn't look up as the rusty bell on the door chimed, to busy fiddling with the gaudy gold watch he was holding.

"Excuse me…" Mae said tentatively.

"Ack! It's fake!" The old man threw the watch over his shoulder in frustration causing a loud crash. Mae flinched, both at the sound and the yellow teeth in the old man's grimace. He was missing quite a few of them. "I can't believe that little monster sold me a fake! When I get my hands on him…"

Vincent watched the man wring a dirty looking rag in his hands, pretending it was his intended victim's neck. He wasn't the only one who found it amusing, he saw Mae fighting a smile as she walked up to the counter still trying to get the man's attention.

"Umm… Excuse me… sir?" The old man was still muttering to himself when he looked up into Mae's curious aqua eyes.

"Ack! Who are you? What are you doing in my store!" The old man angrily waved the rag in Mae's face. Suppressing a giggle, Mae patiently waited for the man's tirade to end. Vincent stood off to the side, out of the man's range of view, lest his presence irritate him more.

"I'm here to drop off a script for a part." Mae reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper Cid had given to Vincent. Speaking of Vincent, he was now staring in blatant wonder at her.

_How in the heck did she…_ Mae saw Vincent checking his pockets out of the corner of her eye and smiled. Being an excellent pick pocket was one of her many talents.

"A script eh?" Mae handed Tim the stained and rumpled piece of paper. He pulled out a pair of large spectacles that fit very well on his rather large nose.

The over-sized lenses held together by twisted wire frames magnified Tim's eyes making him look like an owl. Mae was just glad they didn't magnify the mole on his face. That was quite big enough. It even had a grotesque curly hair sticking out of it.

Mae felt her lips curl in distaste.

"Hmmm," Tim said scratching his balding head. Mae was waiting for something to craw out of his hair. "Let me see…" Setting down the paper, Tim hobbled off to the side and over to a rather large pile of twisted metal and old parts.

Mae watched in fascinated amusement as the wily old man started cursing and throwing pieces of scrap around the room. After dodging quite a few parts, Vincent retreated to where Mae stood. Mae grinned at his predicament and Vincent gave her a rueful glare. She just laughed quietly. He felt his scowl melt away. He liked her laugh.

"Ah! Here it is…" Tim hobbled back over to the counter and set down a rather strange looking part with an aluminum coil sticking out of it.

"Is that it?"

"I'm afraid so my dear," he said moving over to a register covered in grime. He shooed away a monstrous looking cockroach and rang up the purchase. "That'll be 2300 GP."

"All that for this hunk-a junk?" Mae said incredulously. The old man sputtered indignantly

"Now see here!" Vincent raised a hand to quell the man's tirade and handed him the money. Mae stuck her tongue out at the old man and crossed her arms. No wonder Cid liked this guy; they were both crotchety old men. Vincent grabbed the part and ushered her out the door. She hadn't walked three steps before she felt a pull on her back pack.

"Hey!" she yelled indignantly.

"I'm just going to put the part in your bag," he said pulling her back towards him. He quickly unzipped the bag and shoved the part in there before she could protest again. "It will be safer in there." Mae waited for him to finish and they started off towards the better part of town. They didn't make it far.

**:: Muahahahaha! Cliff hanger! Now REVIEW! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Reno: Please review... I don't wanna die... ::**


	6. The Mark

**::Back so soon? Yes! I am back. I decided since I'm knocking out chapters so quickly I should update a little faster (I've actually got up to chapter 9 written already...)**

**I know that alot of you aren't reviewing and frankly it sucks, but I'm going to write this anyway because I don't care anymore. I spent alot of time on this story, I intend on finishing it and posting it, and if you can't spare a few seconds from your day to review a chapter that I spent days writing, then it's not even worth my aggravation to ask for them any more. I shouldn't have to beg.**

**For those of you who actually read this, thank you for even looking at it. I guess that's all I should hope for anyway.::**

**Chapter 6**

Mae examined the group of rough looking people that had managed to surround her and Vincent. They were all dressed in various bland colored rags and looked like showering was reserved for special holidays; the kind that only came once a year. A few of them had knives, which they were proudly swinging around, and some of the more resourceful ones had guns, which happened to be pointing at her and the silent stoic man beside her. Eight stood between them and escape. Lovely.

"Hey there sweetie, got any extra change on ya?" One of the less ragged looking men stepped forward. He was rather tall, but willowy looking; thin and underfed. These people certainly lacked, but that did not make her feel any better about the method they were using to make up for that lack.

Mae did not see a weapon on the tall man, though she was sure that he was armed in one way or the other. He would be a fool not to be. Mae rested her hand on the hilt of her sword, rubbing her thumb over the smooth polished moon stone embedded in the hilt, willing herself to stay calm, cool and collected. She smiled to herself when she saw it sparkle in the dim light.

"Get lost," she said nonchalantly. The man who had stepped forward, _Probably the leader…_ she thought, laughed and pulled out a rusty Magnum and pressed it against her forehead.

"I think you and your friend should hand over your money, and," he said eyeing up Mae's katana, "that cute little sword you have there."

* * *

Vincent twitched. He had grabbed for his gun the moment he'd sensed trouble and now had it aimed at the man, hidden under the folds of his cloak. Fear was the only thing holding him back from shooting the man outright. _God damn-it woman! What are you thinking?_ Grinding his teeth together, Vincent itched to pull the trigger. He prayed to god that the bastard pointing the gun at her didn't pull the trigger as he went down.

Desperate, he tried to gain eye contact with Mae to let her know, but she was intent on staring down the man in front of her.

"Yeah well you're out of luck, because I'm broke and I'd sooner die then give you my katana." Mae was standing as tall as she could make herself, staring the man down and daring him with her mind to lower that gun just once. One second would be all she needed to remove his hand from his arm. Or his head from his shoulders.

The man laughed and grabbed the hilt of her katana, rubbing himself suggestively against her. Mae's lips curled in disgust and she resisted the urge to kick him in the balls. She didn't want that gun going off a tad early.

Vincent felt rage and a jealous urge to tear the man limb from limb. Mae was apparently thinking along similar lines.

"Take your fucking hands off me you prick or I'll rip off you arms and shove them up you ass." She knew she was taking a chance and gambling her life, but at the moment she didn't care. No one, _no one_. Touched her sword.

"Oh really…?" The man tightened his finger on the trigger. A bolt of fear shot up Mae's spine, but she kept her face straight.

Vincent wasn't so willing to put Mae's life in danger as she was, not to mention the infectious emotions running through his veins already had him riled up. Taking a deep breath, he threw back his cape and pressed the barrel of his gun against the ruffian's temple, silently cursing Mae for her recklessness.

"Drop you gun," Vincent growled. The man jumped as the cold triple barrel came into contact with his head, almost pulling the trigger. Mae felt a sickening lurch in her stomach. That could have been the end of her.

Swallowing hard, the man nervously glanced at Cerberus and almost soiled himself. Cerberus was definitely a formidable looking weapon; all silver, sleek and deadly. Vincent bared his teeth and snarled at the man. "I said… Drop. Your. Gun." The man whimpered and dropped the Magnum. Mae picked it up and tucked it in her boot.

"Thanks," she said with a wicked smile. Inside she was breathing a big sigh of relief. Vincent grabbed the man with his clawed hand and turned him around to face the antsy group of street scavengers. He probably used a little more force then necessary, but fear and adrenaline can do that to you.

"Tell them to leave," he said with a calm he didn't possess. The man, now perspiring heavily and shaking, was barely able to open his mouth. His first attempt to talk came out as a halfhearted whimpering plea. Vincent jerked hard on his collar, nearly strangling the man and repeated his order.

"Ya – y – you heard the man! L – leave!" The tattered group looked around at each other shifting anxiously, unsure.

Vincent dug the barrel of his gun into the guy's forehead.

"Leave!" he squeaked. One by one they left, shooting menacing glances over their shoulder. Vincent threw the man to the side not waiting for him to scramble away before roughly grabbing Mae's arm.

"Hey!" The iron grip on her arm tightened. Mae tried to pull away and Vincent turned and growled at her.

Put off, she grabbed his arm, dug her nails in and began to struggle furiously.

"Take your fucking hand off me!" Vincent ignored her. "Who the fuck do you think you are! Let GO!" Mae twisted and kicked and scratched until Vincent snapped. With inhuman strength he threw her against a brick wall, holding both her arms to her side, effectively pinning her there.

"What the hell were you thinking back there?" he hissed. Mae felt her anger draining away in the face of his. His normally red brown eyes were like slits of molten lava, their fiery depths burning her from the inside out. She cringed and Vincent bared his teeth, fangs beginning to show.

Mae felt her cheeks grow warm and prayed she didn't look as upset and flustered as she did. "I… I don't know what you're talking about…" she stated meekly. Vincent curled his metal claws into a fist and punched the wall in an enraged fluster.

"Liar! You were practically begging him to pull that trigger!" Mae felt the wall break open next to her as the gold claw slammed into it, debris flying at her. She used it as an excuse to flinch without giving away her unease. Vincent's rage was coming off of him in waves of heat making her feel foolish and small… weak.

She couldn't help the way she felt, so close to him as she was, and she hated herself for her stupidity and stupid female emotions. The electric shocks she felt running up her spine were wrong. Wrong and she knew it. Knew even as she cowered from his anger that the pleasure she was getting from him being so close to her was wrong. And she hated herself for it.

This man, who's fury should have done nothing but fuel her own, only made her feel like a scorned child. Why? Why did it even _affect_ her? She had no feelings for him! She barely even _knew _him. Yet the pain budding in her chest and the butterflies in her stomach would not be denied.

So maybe she had… _feelings _for him. Nothing serious. Not love. Maybe just a little crush. Yes that's it. A childish little crush. That she could handle. That she could throw away, easily. Just stupid emotions caused from lack of close human interaction for a long time. Anything else would be dangerous and Mae didn't need any more dangers in her life, she had quite enough of them thank you.

Vincent felt his anger grow as he watched Mae's attention drift inwards. He pushed closer until his face was inches from hers. That got her attention.

Their eyes locked and Vincent felt a fleeting stab of pain in his chest as he recognized the emotion in her eyes. Fear. She was afraid of him. And… something else. He pushed the pain aside, fear was what he had been going for. After all she had made him feel it, why not give her a healthy does of it as well. It was only fair. Make her feel the fear of losing something, something totally out of her control.

Vincent allowed himself to bask in her fear until something else caught his attention. Her chest, rising and falling in short rapid breaths, was rubbing against him, and the pleasure from that contact was both perversely wrong and distracting, yet he could not bring himself to move away.

"Why Mae?" he said, surprised to hear his voice sounding husky and softer then he had intended.

Her eyes widened in an emotion he could not place. God the jumble of them crashing together like the waves of an ocean in a storm was giving him a headache. They were turbulent, lighting up her aqua eyes, so delicately lined with long black lashes. He wished they would slow down and let him read them and interpret them. He got his wish.

They all stopped, and his eyes narrowed in response. Something cold slithered its way into her gaze and Vincent felt what could only be described as a bucket of ice water get thrown over his entire being. He found that his limbs had gone numb and refused to move. His whole body was screaming at him to get the hell out of Dodge.

Something… dead, inhuman, _haunted_, slithered behind her eyes, and it was all he could do to lean back a few centimeters, apprehension in his gut.

"You…" her voice was empty, cold. "You have no clue do you…" Something hard slammed into Vincent's body and he flew back into the solid wall of the building behind him. It gave way crumbling about him, caving in and trapping his weakened body.

He felt a sharp pressure in his head and his vision was glazed over. Through the blackening haze he watched Mae's retreating form.

Something warm and slick was running down his face, and he could taste blood. _Fuck…_ Vincent couldn't remember a time when he'd cursed this much.

* * *

Red XIII was hot on the trail of Vincent and Mae when he was rammed into by someone in one hell of a rush. They tripped over him and flew into the unforgiving pavement slabs that marked the sidewalk.

Thankfully Red had been crouched down to begin with. The collusion did nothing but wind him. He picked himself up and looked at the person lying on the ground, moaning quietly in pain and nursing scraped elbows. Red's eyes widened in surprise and his pupils dilated in a mixture of fear and fury.

It was Mae. In the fall her shirt had ridden up her body and a in the light a decent sized tattoo was visible on the small of her back. Only, it wasn't a tattoo.

Mae, dazed, pulled down her shirt, wincing as the movement irritated the raw skin on her elbows.

"You're cursed…" Red said in astonishment. Hatred quickly boiled up and over the shock he felt and he roared his outrage. "You're cursed and didn't tell us!"

Mae jerked to her feet, twisting in place setting her hand on her precious katana.

"You filthy…" Red snarled and charged her.

Mae leapt out of the way, swinging her sword more to fend him off then actually hit him.

She could still feel the residual taint in her body from her temporary loss of control. Always there, just beneath the surface, she could feel _it._ Crawling under her skin. She shivered, resisting the urge to puke. She could smell the blood on her hands. "You don't understand…" her voice wavered and she swayed on her feet. Red didn't notice.

"That's how he's able to find you. That _thing _on your back…" He hesitated. Something akin to fear crawled into his stomach. "Where's Vincent…"

"…" The fear doubled.

"What did you do to him?" he said in a dangerously low voice. When no answer was forthcoming Red scented her, making sure he could find her again before he bolted down the street. Vincent's scent trail led him into a rather run-down part of town and to what looked like the scene of a small earth quake.

A small tattered red piece of cloth moved weakly in the vile air of the deserted alley. "Vincent!" Red ran over and started to dig out the unconscious gunman. He moved a rather large hunk of cement and a soft moan and choking cough rang out in the dank alley way.

Red shook his head despondently. He was in sorry shape. There was a nasty cut and bruise on his right temple and various scrapes and bruises all over his chest. The worst was the two large gashes that had torn the front of his shirt off. Red cursed his inability to use a phone and sent a flare up using his fire materia.

"Hurry…"

**::Cookies to all other authors that go through this.::**


	7. Of Rain and Cigarettes

**::Same old shpeal, I don't own the Final Fantasy Characters, but Tim, his shop, Reixez and Mae are mine. You will deal with my ninja lawyers if u try to steal them!**

**Bit of angst in this chapter. Don't worry, things will get better.::**

**Chapter 7**

The sky was dark and menacing; thunder shaking the earth, growling like the stomach of a demon waiting to devour its unsuspecting prey. Flashes of white lighting illuminated the ground long enough for one to see the twisted shadows of the night before they were once again swallowed by the bowls of dark despair.

The unbearable heat of the day quickly dissipated with the sun and was washed away completely as it started to rain. Merciless, it beat down any and all not safely locked away in their homes. The harsh cry of the rain hissing against the heated pavement was an attest to the misery of the beaten down city.

The rain all but burned against the fevered skin of the weary dejected woman curled on her side, weeping in the cramped alleyway behind an abandoned building.

It was old, condemned and boarded up, but it would never the less provide her with some shelter from the rain. It wasn't Mae's fault that she couldn't bring herself to get up and walk the short distance to the boarded up doorway and break it in.

It wasn't her fault that she felt disgusting and worthless and sick and rotten, lying here in the rain crying her heart out, sobbing silently, begging for someone to find her and just put her out of her misery.

She was tired.

Tired of running away, of living in fear, not only of what pursued her, but of what lived inside her. The dark desires that clawed at her insides and whispered in her ears. Kill, they would say, blood is what they craved. They called for it, and Mae found it hard at times to ignore it.

She remembered the look of shock and pain on Vincent's face when she had attacked him. Guilt and fear drove her to run, and self loathing brought her to where she was now. Wishing that someone would take her life because she was too much of a coward to do it on her own.

Was it so wrong to want it to end? She really had no other reason to live. Her family was gone, and her friends were so far away, and safer because of it. Safe from Reixez, safe from her.

Besides, wouldn't she be doing them a favor by just lying down and dying? The cruel man who pursued them would have no more reason to do so, and they could finally get on with their lives instead of spending it in hiding.

Soaked through and through, Mae felt her sobs dying down. Now she just shook lightly, feeling that strange empty feeling that you always get after a good cry. The only thing was that she wasn't so empty. There was still a residual pain there, throbbing lightly, just enough to remind her it was still there, that she wasn't allowed to rest just yet.

That and the demon that dwelled inside her soul. It was always restless, crawling around right below the surface, but now it felt strangely far away. Mae felt it shifting around lazily and pushed it further away.

Thoughts languidly waltzed through Mae's mind now, but she paid them little heed. The rain was starting to make her skin numb, and Mae found she rather liked that feeling. The water pooling around her body slowed her shivering. It wouldn't be so hard… to just stay there and wait for him to come for her. He would do it eventually, would come for her; it was only a matter of time.

But Mae knew, just knew that he wouldn't be merciful. He wouldn't end it. Instead he would torture her within and inch of her life and then start the hunt for her friends again until he found one, just to dangle them in front of her and watch her squirm, unable to do anything. And the pursuit would begin anew. It was a twisted cycle that never ended.

With that hopeless thought Mae felt the pain rise to the surface again and she shook anew. She was surprised she had any tears left in her, though she couldn't tell if the moisture on her face was the rain or her tears. Her lips were dry, relieved only in places where the rain had dripped from her hair, and her throat was raw from screams that she had been unable to voice.

God she was so tired… It felt like she hadn't slept in ages, but then again, sleep didn't really offer an escape from the horrors of her waking life anymore. Not like they used to. Now her sleep was riddled with nightmares and bad memories that left her more drained then when she had laid down to rest.

_Please… please make it stop… I want to go away… never come back…_

Her muscles were sore and cramped from the tension rocketing throughout her body. Mae felt like she was burning from the inside out, but couldn't stop shaking from the cold wind and rain that assaulted her skin.

Desperate to ease the pain, Mae took her katana and held it against her skin. It would be so easy to just pull it along her arm, following the vein, and to watch the crimson liquid slowly drain from her body.

It would hurt at first, she knew, but after a while it would stop. After a while she would feel nothing, just a little more cold then she was now. She could handle it, she was a big girl. But you see, the fear, the poisonous fear that spiked through her system whenever she thought of dying held her back.

Funny how she never felt it when Reixez beat her within an inch of her life, and then left her to die. Why didn't she feel that fear then? Maybe it was because she didn't have time to think about it. Maybe it was because she didn't really have a choice. Mae guessed it was because it was someone else doing the killing and not her. She didn't like to take life. She had seen it taken too many times from those who could have lived, who should have lived.

Hating herself even more for her weakness she laid the cool metal of her sword under her head, calmed by the cold steel against her cheek. The sobs that racked her body slowed again and she breathed in and out, watching the moisture from her breath float about in the air with empty thoughts.

The demon that clawed at her heart tried to get another rise out of her, but Mae had already crawled into the farthest corners of her mind. Where it was safe.

* * *

Vincent stood slowly. All of his cuts and bruises were gone, but the wounds on his chest were not going to go without a fight. He winced as he felt the bandages catch on the newly formed scabs. He pulled on a new shirt, slowly as not to disturb his aches and pains, and put on his crimson cloak. Using the wall to ground him, Vincent went to rejoin the others.

Due to Vincent's injuries and Mae's disappearance, they were still in the Junon port. They had not seen or heard from the woman since Red had found Vincent in the destroyed alley.

Vincent walked up the stairs to the main deck and settled himself against the wall. Cid and Red were in the middle of a heated argument about Mae. Vincent had chosen to remain silent about just why he was lying under a pile of rubble with two very large gashes on his chest.

"I don't care what she's got on her back, its fucked up to leave her!" Cid and Red were at each other's throats. It seemed the old man was intent on staying long enough to find Mae, where as Red wanted to get as much distance between them and the renegade woman. "Besides," he said taking a drag on his cigarette, "she has my replacement part."

"We can still leave without it!" Red closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Arguing with Cid was like talking to a brick wall that happened to have loud speakers imbedded in it. "Besides, that's not the point. The tattoo on her back is not really a tattoo! It's a curse mark!"

Before the arguing could start up again, Cloud butted in, "What exactly is a curse mark?" Red turned to him ignoring Cid's furious gaze.

"A curse mark is a mark given to a person by someone who is either dabbling in dark magic or has demonic power in someway…"

"So Vin could curse someone?" Yuffie piped up from her perch on the railing.

"In theory, but he would have to know how to do it." Red gave Vincent a speculative glance before continuing on. "Mae's curse mark is… unusual. I know for a fact its how Reixez is tracking her, but there is something else about it that's just… not right."

"Can't we just get her un-cursed? I mean, it's not really her fault she's cursed," Tifa said defensively. Red gave her a heated glare. Cloud noticed this and narrowed his eyes at Red who then shifted his attention back to the conversation.

"It is possible to un-curse her, but we would have to find out if the curse mark is a demonic one, or one forged of black magic. If it's demonic then we would have to go to the one who cursed her to figure out how to remove it."

"Ok," Cid said taking a drag of his smoke. "So what is so bad about this curse mark?" Red shot him another glare.

"The person who gave her the mark, in this case Reixez, can use it to track her, and even possess her if he feels like it." Cloud shook his head.

"You are right, that would make her dangerous, but she has yet to show any signs of possession."

"Oh, really," Red said sardonically. "Then, pray tell, how did Vincent got those pretty little stripes across his stomach?"

Vincent closed his eyes. He did not want to talk about this right now. Damn Red for putting him on the spot. He could feel their eyes on him, waiting for him to say something. Either back up Red XIII or defend Mae. But he really couldn't defend her, could he. She had attacked him, but so had he attacked her.

Vincent sighed and opened his eyes. He did not lift his head, and kept his eyes on the polished wooden floors.

"We were attacked…" The group gasped, Cid making comments about how he 'told them so.' And it wasn't a lie, not at least in the sense that he made it up. They had been attacked, just…

"Vincent," Red said trying to garner his attention. "Those are claw marks aren't they?" Red knew Vincent was hiding something, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to figure it out.

"I don't know," Vincent said finally. "What ever hit me, hit me hard and fast. I didn't see what it was." Another half truth. He hadn't seen Mae hit him, only her retreat from the alley way. Vincent could feel Red's frustration clouding the room. Vincent pointedly ignored it, choosing to stare out the large dome like glass and into the dreary night sky. The sun had set nearly an hour ago, and the sky was dark and ominous. The pregnant rain clouds looked close to bursting at any moment.

It had been two days since Mae had disappeared, but he knew she was still in Junon. He could feel it, though he wasn't quite sure how. Vincent watched as the sky slowly began to tear open and release the deluge that had been frantically fighting gravity for a while now.

Cid threw the stub of his cigarette into the overflowing ash tray, and breathed out a lung full of smoke. Yuffie had been especially quiet ever since Mae had run off, Red had been agitated, and Vincent had been even more reclusive then normal. Cloud and Tifa were the only two acting semi normal.

"I'm going to go make some tea…" Cid watched Tifa escape to the kitchen. He wanted another cigarette. A short search yielded two empty packs. Grumbling in irritation he grabbed his Venus Gospel and headed towards the stairs.

"Where are you going Cid?" Cid turned to Cloud.

"I'm out of cigarettes." Before Cloud could respond, Vincent's deep voice interjected.

"I will go with you." Cloud eyed him with concern.

"Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I will be fine." His tone left no room for argument. Cloud ran his hand through his hair.

"Be careful, both of you. I don't need to remind you of the danger." Cid waved him off and shoved his hands into his pockets before trudging down the stairs.

* * *

It didn't take long before both men were soaked to the bone.

"What miserable fucking weather," Cid groused. Vincent whole heartedly agreed. It had been raining non stop since they had left. His hair was sopping wet and clung to his face, perpetually irritating him. For the umpteenth time he pulled it away from his eyes and resumed his search for Mae. He could hardly see anything in the darkened streets and was reduced to waiting for flashes of lightning.

Cid had already gotten his cigarettes and had them stuffed in his boots to try and protect his precious babies from the evil rain. He had actually been the one to suggest looking for Mae. Apparently the gruff man had a soft spot for her.

Vincent didn't know why he wanted to look for her. He knew he had provoked her anger and elicited the reaction that gave him the wounds, and so he wasn't really upset about it. He wanted to find her, because what he had seen pass through her eyes before she attacked him was bothering him; slowly eating away at his conscience. He felt a pang of regret every time he thought about it. He hadn't meant to push her so far.

Not to mention the burning need to know what it was and why it was there in the first place. Vincent knew that Mae had told them next to nothing, and most of what she told them was probably a lie, and yet she had trusted him, relaxed her defenses just a little in his presence.

Vincent felt dull warmth situate itself in his chest as he thought about how nice it felt to cradle her arm in his. To feel her so close next to him. Before long Vincent had lost himself in his thoughts of Mae and just how nice it was to see her that long morning ago with bright eyes and a playful smile. And her laugh.

He was so deep in pleasant memories that he almost missed the cold mental pull that hovered just outside of his mind. He opened his eyes and gave Cid a strange look before falling to his knees clutching his head in pain.

"Vincent!" Cid rushed to his side. "Vincent what's wrong!"

Vincent couldn't hear him, all he could hear was the strident morose scream that tore through his mind. It felt like someone was trying to rip his mind from his skull using a rusty garden rake. He let out his own scream as the pain doubled.

Between the unexpected attack on his mind and the wounds he had sustained earlier, Vincent was having a hard time holding Chaos back. The last thing he needed to do right now was transform. Gathering his strength, Vincent hastily put up a mental barrier against the assault. His body slumped in relief as Chaos reinforced the walls. Apparently the demon hadn't liked the mental attack either.

Cid supported Vincent's weakened frame and he rose to his feet. "Hey man, are you ok?" Vincent held his human hand to his forehead, willing his brain to stay put and not come flooding out like it most definitely wanted to do. The throbs of pain were finally ebbing and he could see clearly again.

"I'm fine now Cid… thank you." Vincent could still feel the pull of the nightmare that had caused him such sudden pain. It was Mae. It had to be. The pull was so strong he didn't even notice when his legs started to move on their own accord.

Cid, worried about both the physical and now mental health of his friend followed closely, unsure of whether or not to ask what the hell was going on.

The pull grew stronger the closer they got to its source. It wasn't long before Vincent was running down the streets of Junon as full speed, leaving Cid trailing behind him cursing and sputtering in the rain. He ran down a narrow cut through and stopped suddenly. The connection was broken.

Vincent cursed violently and ground his teeth in frustration. He looked around the alley way for any sign of Mae. The pull had been strong; she was so close. So close…

Vincent was about to give up when the air picked up just a little. Blood. He smelled blood; faint and weak, but there. And it was hers. A bolt of lightning illuminated the alley and a small trail of blood became visible.

Vincent could hear Cid calling for him, trying to figure out which alley way Vincent had run down, but Vincent's eyes were riveted on the blood. He followed it, a small trickle of fear slowing his movements. They lead to the entrance of a dilapidated building with a busted door. It looked like someone had carelessly knocked it off its hinges and then tried to replace it.

Vincent laid his hand on the door and pushed softly, willing it not to make a sound. He was lucky, as the door slid open slowly with out the slightest peep. The entrance was dark and Vincent could make out nothing. For a long time he stood in the door way, willing his eyes to adjust to the dark and let him see.

More lightning behind him and the room lit up just long enough for him to see…

**::Ah, candy cigarettes. You make it all worth it...::**


	8. To Kiss or Tell

**::Hey peoples! I got an extra long chapter here in celebration of a review! I got another one! AND a favs! Wohoooooo *does victory dance*. Cookies to Luna of the Black Moon! Yes it is strange that Chaos would "help" Vincent. The reason behind this will be revealed all in good time hehehehe. Oh, btw, for Obsessed Angel, there will be lots of Reno goodness in the next chapter so stay tuned! Lots of love to my two reviewers!::**

**Chapter 8**

A small figure was curled up in a ball, huddled in the far corner of the building. A trail of water led from the door to the puddle that surrounded her. In the flashed of light it looked like a trail of silver mirrors leading to the still form. Vincent recognized her unruly hair from where he stood.

Once the light from the lightning was gone, Vincent could no longer see her. He stepped into the building cautiously. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his breathing seemed impossible loud, though he was trying his best to be silent. His gold boots that he'd left behind in favor of a pair of Cid's rubber bottomed combat boots. He was grateful for this, as his slow heel to toe steps made no sound.

Vincent regretted leaving the door open behind him the further he walked into the building. Mae had not seemed so damnably far when he first saw her. The little bit of moon light that came through the door made the darkness beyond seem even more menacing and thick.

Caution started to escape Vincent as he felt the urge to see Mae growing. He could not explain the driving urge to see her, touch her, make sure she was well. He could not deny his strange attraction to her, but… hell the last he'd seen of her she had shoved him through a wall.

_But,_ he reasoned, _Red did say that the curse mark allowed Reixez to possess her…_ God how he prayed that… what? That it wasn't her who had attacked him? Or that it was her, and she was fighting Reixez's hold on her. He wasn't sure what he wanted.

The distinct splash of his boot touching water startled him. At his feet he was just able to make out the still form of Mae. Lying in the fetal position, it seemed that she was trying to make herself as small as possible.

Fear in his heart, Vincent knelt down beside her and leaned close. Sharp, shallow breaths let him know she was alive. What concerned him was the fear behind them. He moved around so Mae was facing him.

Her face was hidden under her mane of hair, and she started to shake; little quivers of motion at first that erupted into violent motions when he gently moved aside her hair to see her face.

Her eyes were scrunched together and her lips were pursed together to prevent the scream of despair and fear crawling its way up her throat. Vincent's heart ached from the sight. He had no clue what brought on such fear, and could only imagine what nightmarish creatures that tortured her in her dreams.

* * *

"Mae…" That one word rolled soft and silky over Mae and banished her shivering. The way he said her name, so concerned and caring burned its way through the cold and into her heart, which ached all the more for it. She would be the death of that beautiful voice and she knew it.

Pain assailed her anew and she forced the tears from her eyes. She hated her luck. It couldn't just kill her it had to drag others along with her, kill them and leave her behind to mourn them, and that was why Reixez delighted in following her around. Because she was weak and managed to somehow earn the respect and loyalty of others long enough that they could delude themselves into helping her, even if she did not mean it to be so.

The poor pathetic fools were drawn to her like moths to a flame. And the worst part was that she could do nothing. No matter how much she pushed them away, they would come back, though she had to admit to herself, she hadn't really tried to hard this time. She had been alone to long, and to tired to think logically.

But she should have known. Nothing changed. So why did she allow it to happen? Lord knows that the damned curse mark the Reixez had ruthlessly placed on her body drew the weak to her, but she still had the ability to walk away. Yet, she found she couldn't. Not this time.

Mae tried her best not to sob as a gentle touch warmed her cheek. She clenched her teeth and willed Vincent to go away.

"Mae… look at me Mae."

_No, _she thought desperately. _I can't… I won't be able to walk away because I'm to damned weak… I don't want to see… _And she didn't. Because she knew she would fall for him if she looked up and saw even the slightest hint of warmth in his eyes, because though others were drawn to her like a moth to flame, she found herself irrevocably drawn to the mysterious Vincent Valentine and his burning red eyes.

* * *

Vincent regarded Mae with growing concern. He felt the overwhelming urge to just pull her against him and hold her until she was no longer afraid, no longer in pain. He brushed his fingers ever so lightly against her face. She had slowly stopped shaking, but at that touch she shivered ever so lightly.

"Mae… look at me Mae." He sensed the rising panic in her; coupled with her fear and obvious distress Vincent's inner demons were getting anxious. Once again he reached out to her, caressing her brow in an attempt to soften the tense lines on her face.

A burning sensation in his chest urged him to touch her more, so he did.

* * *

Mae felt strong arms lift her from the numbing pool of water. An encompassing warmth was wrapped around her stiff and aching body. Aching, that was what she was doing. Aching inside and out. Her heart fit to rip out of her chest and explode from all of the confused and battered emotions tearing through it. She felt Vincent's arm holding her ever so tenderly, as if she might break, and she felt her hold on her emotions slipping from her grasp.

Clenching tightly to his shirt she turned her head into the hard warmth of his chest and let it all go. She didn't care any more. If she didn't get it off her chest she was going to break.

* * *

Vincent held the trembling woman, hands caressing her back, soothing the tumultuous sobs from her. Her felt her press closer to him and her hands wound around his neck, clutching to his cloak and collar.

Even though he hated to see her in such pain, he felt himself relax, so relieved was he at finding her alive and unharmed. He vaguely heard her sobbing out how stupid she thought him and how much she hated him. He smiled, leaning his head down to rest in her wild hair, murmuring back comforting words.

* * *

Mae was pulling so hard at Vincent's collar that the first few buttons popped of and she felt warm skin against her cheek. It was soothing in its own way. This was the first time she had been this close to another human being in years. She felt her sobs gradually dying down.

Exhausted, Mae distantly noticed that the throbbing pain in her chest wasn't as persistent as it normally was. In fact, she could feel it ebbing away. She felt warm, so warm. It was… nice.

* * *

Vincent was at first dismayed at feeling how cold Mae's cheek was against his neck, but soon let that thought go as her sobs slowed and eventually stopped. Still holding her he slid over to the corner and leaned against it comfortably.

Mae hadn't noticed the move, and was barely fighting the demanding pull of sleep. Vincent was still rubbing her back, though now he was lazily tracing circles now, and it was lulling her towards blissful oblivion.

Vincent knew she gave in when the hitch in her breathing disappeared. She was still clutching his shirt, but the rest of her was leaning comfortably against him, warm and safe.

Vincent felt whole, sitting here with Mae sleeping in his arms, and he knew that it was over. He had fallen for the woman. He wasn't sure if it was love that he felt for her, or possibly just an urge to protect her because he knew what being hunted and tortured was like, but he knew that he would be unable to leave her.

Maybe it was because a small part of her reminded him of his beloved Lucrecia. He wasn't sure what it was about her. It certainly wasn't how she looked. Mae was the complete opposite of Lucrecia in that manner. Maybe it was the hopeless determination with which she fought her enemy, the pain it caused her, and how hard she tried to hide it.

Personality wise they couldn't be more different. Lucrecia was shy in no way, but she was distant in a graceful way that captivated those close enough to know of her, and yet not truly know her. Mae kept you at a distance using force, but kept looking back to see if you were following.

Even now, she kept her face hidden from him, yet clung to him tightly, as if she feared he would leave her. A small smiled tugged at the corners of his mouth. Ignorant, confusing, frustrating woman.

"Vin! Yo Vin!" Cid's irate voice called from the dead streets outside of the house. It was still raining, though not as hard, and the lightning had died down leaving distant peals of thunder sounding no more then deep rumbles. Vincent sighed. He would wake her up if he didn't stop yelling.

Cid poked his head curiously inside the door to the abandoned building. Vincent waved his golden claw at Cid, watching him jump at the small gleam it gave off.

"Shhh… she's sleeping," he said softly. Cid crept in blindly. He made it halfway before getting frustrated. He walked back over to the door and shut it against Mother Nature's temper tantrum.

Vincent heard several muttered curses and a few offending items drop to the floor before a small glow illuminated the silhouette of the chain smoking pilot. Cid held up the lighter and looked around for anything that he could use for a source of light. After a bit of searching he found a small oil lamp covered in a thick layer of grime and dust.

Cid lit the lamp and set it down in front of Vincent. He put an unlit cigarette in his mouth and chewed on the end as he looked over Mae's petite form huddled in Vincent's lap. She looked so like a lost child then that he felt the irritated expression on his face soften. He sighed and tried to refrain from lighting his cigarette.

"What are we gonna do with her?" Vincent was still idly stroking Mae's hair. He looked thoughtfully at the flickering flame in the lamp.

"I don't know…" he said finally. "But I do know that we can't leave her here alone." Cid massaged his temple.

"She tried to kill you Vincent. I know those wounds were from her. You heard Red about that curse mark. How do we even know it's her?" Vincent looked at Cid over the fire.

"It's her Cid. No monster like Reixez could feel as strongly as she does. And believe me," he said wryly, "she feels. Her nightmares alone are enough to drive my demons into frenzy." Cid frowned.

"What do you mean?" Vincent hadn't told anyone about his ability to sense nightmares and the emotions that came with them. It was an unwanted side affect of having various demons in his head. But, he guessed for Cid he could make an exception. Besides, he was going to need an ally if he was going to convince the others to let her stay.

"I can sense nightmares Cid, and hers are strong enough to physically draw me to them." His eyes were still boring into Cid, who was decidedly uncomfortable. "I have a feeling that they are a product of the curse mark."

"Maybe that's his control over her," Cid mused. "Haunt her dreams so that she's too weak to fight or think properly when she wakes."

"Possibly," Vincent agreed. "And with the added exhaustion she is more prone to mistakes and moments of weakness."

"Exactly." Cid tried to take a puff of his cigarette to find it still unlit. Frustrated he plucked it from his mouth and held it lazily between two fingers. "What are we going to do about that curse mark anyway?"

Vincent contemplated their options. They could leave it, but that wouldn't do anyone any good. They could try and remove it via magic, but that might irritate the mark and cause side effects if it's a demonic mark. The last option was Vincent's least favorite, but it was looking to be the most promising in favor of getting rid of the mark.

Remove the one who cast it. Reixez.

They could go to him to find out how to remove it, though Vincent seriously doubted the man would just come out and say, yeah here's how to remove it, have fun! Vincent laughed ruefully at the thought.

"We have no choice. If we attempt to remove it we could very well endanger Mae's life. If we attempt to remove the one who cast it we may very well lose ours."

"So in other words we're screwed."

"Pretty much."

"Great." Cid didn't give a fuck if the smoke bothered them anymore. He quickly lit it and took a long drag.

* * *

Day light feebly tried to make its way through the layers of dirt and dust on the small cracked windows. Vincent woke slowly from the light slumber he'd had the distinct pleasure of having the night before. Cid was snoring peacefully on the floor not far from him.

Fear jolted him awake and he leaned forward, only to be hampered by a tiny wait against his chest. His fear left him as he recognized Mae's sleeping form. She was still here. He leaned back allowing himself to relax. She looked so peaceful now…

No longer huddled against him, he could now see her face. It was covered in a thin layer of dirt, and had streaks from where her tears had washed little paths down her face. Vincent tenderly wiped them away. His finger trailed over to her lips, so soft and pink. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her. Its strength shocked him.

_Just a little kiss,_ he assured himself._ She won't know… _He leaned down, hesitating. His lips were so close to hers, he could feel her warm breaths on his. They shot little electric thrills up and down his body. Slowly, reverently, Vincent kissed her lips.

He pulled back, and immediately felt himself going back. He was a little more forceful this time. He didn't even care if Mae woke now. He would wait for her to open her mouth to ask what he was doing and deepen the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth. She would moan and pull him closer like she did last night…

A small whimper caught his attention and he pulled back abruptly. Mae had leaned into the kiss in her sleep, responding to his need. Vincent found his breath short and his hands trembling. His body felt like it was on fire.

Self loathing replaced the heavenly feeling he'd gotten from kissing her. How could he do that to her while she was sleeping? She had been seeking comfort from him and here he was thinking heated thoughts about her and kissing her when she was not even aware enough to tell him to get the fuck off of her.

Mae moved in her sleep and wound her arms around Vincent's neck, pulling herself closer. Her head now rested in the crook of his neck and her breath teased along his exposed skin. Vincent felt warmth pooling in his stomach and groaned at his body's treacherous actions.

Silently Vincent prayed that someone would wake up and distract him…

"Hello Mr. Valentine…" The voice effectively destroyed all of the warmth in his body. Vincent jerked his head up and found himself face to face with Reixez. "Nice to see you again."

Reixez grinned maliciously at Vincent whose face was showing a mixture of shock, rage and embarrassment. _Oh… now I see…_

"It seems you've taken a bit of a liking to my little butterfly…" Reixez wrapped a finger around a loose strand of Mae's hair and twirled it carelessly around his finger. Vincent shook off his shock and ruthlessly shoved Cerberus' cold tripled barrel against Reixez's temple. Reixez ignored him, fascinated by Mae's serene countenance.

"Get back," Vincent growled dangerously. He kicked Cid, who then woke in a flurry of disgruntled limbs and curses. They drained away with the color in his face as he noticed Reixez.

"Impossible…" he breathed. Reixez paid about as much attention to Cid as he did to the cold gun pressed against his head. He only had eyes for Mae.

"I don't believe I've ever seen her so peaceful." Vincent watched him with apprehension and more then a little aggression. He wanted to pull the trigger so bad, but with Reixez so close to Mae and confident in the face of a very dangerous weapon held by a man with an itchy trigger finger, Vincent was hesitant.

He watched with fury as Reixez leaned in and pressed his lips ever so tenderly on Mae's cheek. "Time to wake up butterfly…" his voice was barely a whisper, but the effect on Mae was electrifying.

She jumped, eliciting a surprised screech and reached for her sword. Vincent pulled the trigger, missing his target by millimeters. Reixez was faster then the bullet that almost hit him. His hand was instantly around Mae's throat.

"Now, now, that's not very nice." His voice had lost the hint of playfulness and he was staring avidly at Mae, watching her struggle against him, giving up the search for her sword in favor of clawing at his hand and wrist. He had almost forgotten about the man holding her until a gold claw dug into his arm and pried him away from his beloved pet.

The moment contact with her was broken an annoying stinging sensation in his side began making itself known. Reixez looked down at it only to see a rather large spear sticking out of his side. He followed the tip to its owner who was snarling and twisting it. Reixez frowned and grabbed the spear.

Cid felt his feet lose contact with the floor as Reixez swung Venus Gospel around with him still holding on. The room moved around him and he felt the wind knocked out of him as his right side connected to the wall. He let out a winded grunt and looked up just as Reixez brought the weapon he so adored viciously on his head.

"Cid!" Vincent shot Reixez in the back as the pilot slumped to the floor unconscious. Mae stumbled off to find her sword, which was lying abandoned on the other side of the room.

Reixez turned to confront the new annoyance. He locked eyes with Vincent and smiled.

Vincent froze, his blood running cold. The look in his eyes… _My God… He's completely insane!_ Vincent took an involuntary step backwards. His eyes reminded him of Sephiroth's. Completely and utterly insane, hungering for blood and death only to be had in the most sadistic way possible.

Reixez smiled as his prey froze, finally realizing that death was inevitable. He loved that look of shear terror right before he ripped their organs from their body, carefully leaving their vocal chords untouched, just so he could hear them scream.

Mae slid across the dusty wooden floor to stand in front of Vincent brandishing her sword, her pack slung precariously over her shoulder.

"Mae!" Vincent moved away from the wall trying to put Mae behind him, his gun trained on Reixez. The mad man's smile widened.

"You think to protect her? I think you should be more worried about yourself…" Vincent blinked and Mae was thrown across the room into the far wall. Reixez now had his hand wrapped around his wrist, squeezing mercilessly. Vincent felt the bone giving way. He gritted his teeth, staring defiantly at Reixez.

Mae got up from the ground, recovering quickly. She watched Vincent struggling against Reixez. Dread filled her. Reixez was no longer out to play. He was out for blood. If she didn't think of something quick Vincent was going to die.

Vincent let out a cut off cry when the bone in his wrist snapped. He drove his claw into Reixez's gut, digging in, trying to rips his insides out. Reixez's smile only grew, his canines starting to extend and sharpen.

He let out a groan and pushed against Vincent. He was enjoying it. Vincent tried to pull away but Reixez reared back and bit his cloak, tearing away the clothes in his way before latching onto the tender flesh under the protective coverings.

Vincent's pained cries were what drove Mae to action. She ran to the door, strapping her sword to her side. She stood tall and steeled herself.

"Reixez." Her voice was utterly calm, betraying none of her turbulent emotions.

Reixez's eyes were misted over with blood lust, but he still managed to drag his attention from his victim to the call from his favorite prey. He turned Vincent's body, careful not to loosen his grip from him. Vincent moved with him, hardly able to do much more. He too found his gaze riveted to Mae.

She stood before the door and seemed to glow in the blue grey light of morning. Reixez was consumed by bloodlust, and would be easier to manipulate, of this Mae was grateful. The hard part would be surviving the stunt she was about to pull.

Vincent watching, his fear for Mae growing as he saw how utterly focused and determined she was; and how fearful her eyes betrayed her as. Vincent felt his head shaking in a silent plea. Mae ignored him.

"Come Reixez," she said with authority. The bloodthirsty man smiled around the flesh in his mouth and bit down harder, milking another agonized sound from Vincent.

Mae didn't flinch. Instead she lifted up her shirt enough to reveal her now healing wound. Reixez's gaze instantly became riveted to it. Mae slowly reached up, ignoring Vincent's shouts and pleas for her to just go and pulled open the newly mended flesh. A pained look settled on her face, but she did not cry out. He eyes stayed cold and clear.

Reixez eyes widened as he watched the blood run down Mae's stomach to her jeans. He bit down on Vincent again, almost to remind himself of what he already had. Mae watched the gears in his head turning as he tried to reach a decision. Which would be more delectable?

Finally Reixez released Vincent and Mae didn't hesitate to run from the building. Vincent fell forward as Reixez went after Mae, his claw still in his side. He jerked free and crumpled to the ground next to Cid.

Torn between running after Mae and tending to the unconscious pilot, Vincent found that he could only scream in frustration. He used his clawed hand to go through Cid's pockets and located his cell phone. He set it on the ground, holding his broken wrist against his chest protectively and pressed the speed dial for Cloud. The phone ringed only once before Cloud answered, sounding worried.

"Cid? Are you ok? Where are you?" Vincent growled, interrupting the stream of questions and barked into the phone.

"We're in the southern section of the city in a condemned building. Find us as fast as you can. I'm injured and Cid's out cold." Cloud cursed loudly and yelled to Tifa to get the others ready. Muffled sounds indicated that he was running towards the exit and to the streets.

"We're on our way, hang on!"

"Cloud," Vincent said breathlessly. The pain from his wrist was starting to get to him and Chaos was stirring. "Reixez is here."

"Fuck! Where is he! Is he with you?" Chaos' roar was giving Vincent a headache and he was starting to have a hard time hearing Cloud.

"He went after Mae. She lured him away… She's on our side Cloud…" Vincent felt Chaos give a sickening lurch to the front of his subconscious at the mention of Mae.

"Vincent? Vincent!" Vincent dropped the phone and fell to the ground, no longer fighting the demon rising to the surface of his mind. Chaos had never gone after Cid, and had watched over Mae. He wouldn't hurt them…

The panicking voice on the other side of the phone was still screaming for Vincent when Chaos let out a guttural cry and took off into the city.

**:: Muahahaha, I'm going to have so much fun in the next chapter *evil grin***

**Vincent: I think we should be worried...**

**Cloud: *eating cookies***

**Me: Who said you could have those! Those are for my reviewers! *chases Cloud around with a frying pan***

**Vincent: ... I'm going now.**

**Me: Wait! I need you for the next chapter!**

**Vincent: *throws me a plushie of Chaos* Have fun.**

**Me: ... *looks at plushie* Cute... ::**


	9. The Chase

**:: Chapter 9 is here! *throws confetti at the computer screen* Oh and guess what else:) Reno makes an appearance! This is to end the unruly and slightly frightening demands of Obsessed Angel, my faithful every chapter reviewer! *throws Reno at you* hehe. You'll see even more of him in the next chapter.**

**Fantasy-elf : Chaos is awesome isn't he *huggles little Chaos plushie* Vinny wouldn't transform for me, so all Chaos scenes were done by plushie! *holds up and squeaks the plushie***

**Lots of love to my few reviewers!::**

**Chapter 9**

Mae felt adrenaline coursing through her body. She was running through Junon, pursued by Reixez, who was so over come by bloodlust that the demon inside him had taken over whatever was left of his humanity.

The crazed man was growling and foaming at the mouth, tearing up anything in his path and butchering all who came close to him. He did not stop to savor any of the humans he killed however, his sights set on the small frame of the raven haired woman ahead of him.

Mae's hair billowed out behind her, whipping around wildly, thrown back by the air rushing past. Mae was flat out running, her legs pumping powerfully. She was eternally grateful for the rest she had gotten last night. Her mind flashed back quickly to the soothing presence that had cradled her, protected her from the nightmares that usually haunted her.

Vincent. Oh gods how she prayed her would be ok. _Forgive me,_ she chanted softly. Over and over she repeated the phrase in her mind like a mantra for strength. _I will come back and explain some day… believe me…_

Mae felt a streak of hot air shoot past her. A car exploded in front of her, forcing her to leap into the air and out of the path of the flames. He was shooting fire spells at her. Mae didn't stop, the moment her feet touched the ground she sprang back into action, ducking and dodging as more projectiles came flying at her.

Mae glanced back at her pursuer in time to see a rather large ice spell flying at her back. Acting quickly, she coiled her right leg and changed direction, propelling herself down a side street, still at a dead run. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so much energy at her disposal. Mae knew better then to let it go to her head.

The street lead to a busy market place. There were people everywhere. Mae sent a hasty bolt spell into the air, crashing down to blow up an empty stand. People screamed and scattered, trying to get as far from her as they could. One hapless woman ran towards the street Mae had come from and was promptly torn to pieces by Reixez who flew out of the street, his claws extended and his body beginning to warp and change.

"Fuck!" Mae didn't like this at all. She couldn't stop to help anyone. If she did, not only would she die, but anyone still in the city would suddenly be next on his list to disembowel.

Still going strong Mae headed for the edge of the city. It had been a long time since Mae had been in Junon, and with her mind in full panic mode and trying to concentrate on dodging the various spells constantly flying at her, she was finding it almost impossible to find the shortest safest route out of the city.

Sending a few spells of her own before her, she tried in vain to warn people to get away. The city folk knew to run, but the stupid city guard got a little pissed that she was destroying property and came after her. Mae pitied them, she really did, but there was nothing she could do but yell at them to run, and hope to the gods above they listened. Most didn't.

A particularly self-righteous group started shooting at her as she ran towards them. "No! Run! Get out of the street!" Mae waved her arm at them furiously before erecting a barrier around herself to block the bullets. She had to stop to do so, but didn't stay there long, bolting around the barrier and leaping over the stunned guards heads.

More explosions tore up the streets and threw vehicles into the air as Reixez came barreling after her. Now, his arms were red and bulky, his fangs to large for his mouth, and his legs were starting to invert and grow. Luckily for her, it made him slower for the time being. The terrified screams of the soldiers propelled her forward. She'd done all she could for them.

In Reixez's haste to kill her he was wasting precious energy. If she made it out of the city she might be able to lose him before he finished the change and became to fast for her to out run. And if he did that, she wasn't sure he would let her live this time.

Another crowd of people loomed before her and Mae made a split second decision, charging down another side street. It led her to a boxed in apartment parking lot. Mae turned quickly, cursing her damnable sense of judgment and found the exit blocked. Reixez stood, growing faster, his energy no longer being expended on running.

Mae felt fear shooting through her body again. This was not good. The few people who had been outside quickly sought the refuge of their apartments, though Mae knew that if this got ugly, bricks and cement would not protect them. She gritted her teeth, praying that she had enough energy left in her to make it out of this alive.

Reixez let out a gurgled grunt as his body grew and his bones shifted to fit his new monstrous frame. His skin was a pinkish color with black veins covering his arms and chest. His feet to his knees were completely black and heavily muscled. He had four very large claws that pawed the ground, digging into the cement like it was gravel and dirt. His waist was tiny, and supported a ridiculous bulky top.

Reixez's head now had two viscously curved horns that sloped away from the leathery black wings protruding from his back. A rather large thick tail swung lazily back and forth, sporting a very sharp piece of bone sticking out of the tip.

Flexing the muscles in his arms and running the shiny black claws that jutted from his finger tips along the wall, Reixez smiled around the very large fangs in his mouth. His eyes were still an icy blue, but the blue had expanded to cover the whites and had a black slit down the center instead of their normal circular pupils.

Mae stayed in the center of the parking lot, crouched and ready to defend herself. Her hand rested anxiously on the hilt of her beloved katana. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Reixez, daring him to come at her.

Reixez let out a mighty roar that shook the ground and rattled the windows. Mae felt a shiver run up her spin, but still she did not move. The demon Reixez was amused by this. He took his time, step by step growing closer to Mae. He made sure that his foot steps left small craters in the cement.

Mae felt her body screaming at her to get the hell away from that thing. The curse mark on her back burned, and sweat rolled freely down her face, yet still she did not move, did not blink, did not give an inch.

Reixez saw this, slightly annoyed by her arrogant bravery. His tail twitched back and forth, showing his puzzled discontent. He growled and used one hand to pick up a station wagon and throw it over Mae's head into the building behind her.

Mae curled her hand into a fist, her nails biting into her skin and drawing blood. She would not flinch. The first sign of weakness would be her last.

The demon's pupils contracted in anger, his thick split tongue darting out of his mouth, scenting the air. He bared his teeth and picked up another car, hurling it at the ground right next to Mae, almost hitting her, and still, she stayed still, her eyes locked on his. The broken glass of the windshield fell to the ground, the sound ringing through the still air and reverberating off of the silent buildings surrounding them.

It was a game of dominance. If Mae looked away or moved Reixez would tear her to pieces. If she flinched or wavered in any way, Reixez would kill her. If she managed to stare him down and not show any sign of weakness there was a fifty-fifty chance that Reixez would behave and eventually revert back to his human form.

Sure he would regain the use of his mind and probably beat her within an inch of her life, but she had a better chance of survival that way.

The bulky demon released the car and roared his fury in Mae's face. The stench of his breath was almost unbearable, but Mae still held her gaze steady and didn't flinch. She had no clue why this method worked at all. Most demons would kill her anyway, not impressed at all with her display of bravery. But both Reixez's human and demon form were strangely fascinated by her.

Mae counted her blessings, grateful that his interest hadn't stemmed past torture. She wouldn't be able to stand so firm if Reixez had violated her in such a way. She was more then sure that she would be broken if not dead.

The distant sound of a helicopter broke Mae's focus. The demon looked up at the offending vehicle, gnashing his teeth and hitting his tail against the ground in warning. Mae snuck a small glance up at the helicopter. It was black and had the Shinra logo proudly showing on its side.

The helicopter rotated and tilted its nose down towards them. Mae sprang into action. Reixez looked down at her sudden retreat and was about to go after her when a hail of bullets rained down on him.

Mae didn't stop to see what happened to him. She pulled out her anti-gravity materia and flew up the side of the building. She jumped awkwardly onto the roof and put the materia back into her backpack. Mae spared a glance at the helicopter. She caught a flash of red hair before the sound of breaking glass spurred her to get moving.

Without hesitation she leapt over the side of the building. The ground rushed up at her fast. Before she hit the ground she tucked into a roll and prayed that no bones got damaged. She tumbled out into the street, a rather large truck heading right for her, its beams burning her retina.

Mae sprang up, her body connecting with the windshield instead of the grill of the truck. She felt her shoulder scream in pain as she connected with the truck, the horn blaring in her ear. She rolled off the hood of the truck and stood as fast as her battered body allowed, almost falling back down as a feeling of vertigo assaulted her. She ignored the ground that came rushing up at her, once again ordering her legs to move.

Another car veered to avoid hitting her and she fell against the wall, unable to turn quick enough to avoid it. Her injured shoulder hit the wall and popped back into place. Mae screamed out her pain, slumping down to the ground. It wasn't long before fear propelled her forward once again. She hobbled down the street, her vision blurry from unshed tears of agony. She walked into people more often then not, to tired to even try and warn them.

Her heart was racing and she jumped at every noise, convinced Reixez was right behind her. She could still hear gun shots off in the distance though, and they helped calm her a bit.

She stumbled towards the edge of Junon, her fear not leaving her even as she left the city. Mae stopped long enough to see how much damage had been done. Her shoulder still hurt and the gash on it had reopened. She had a major headache and was feeling dizzy and disoriented, possibly due to a minor concussion. She also noted a bit of blood running down her face, meaning she probably had a nice little cut up there too.

"Ugh… I fell like shit…" Mae figured that about summed it up and she set out to put as much distance between her and Junon as possible.

* * *

Chaos ignored Cid's unconscious body in favor of pursuing the path of destruction that Reixez and Mae were creating. They had zigzagged through Junon, slowly growing closer to the edge of the city. Chaos flew above them, both Mae and Reixez oblivious to his presence. He watched as Mae found herself cornered in a parking lot surrounded on three sides by buildings, and cut off by Reixez who had just finished transforming into a rather large demon.

Chaos was impressed by Mae's resistance to the demon's intimidation. He was slightly annoyed when a noisy flying scrap of metal interrupted their staring match. Mae ran to the building behind her and scaled it when the helicopter started firing at Reixez. Reixez swatted the bullets away as if they were nothing and went after Mae.

Chaos, sensing the sudden aggression against the woman dove and body slammed the demon. They crashed through the car embedded in the side of the building and tore up the lower half of the apartment complex trying to rip each other's throats out.

Reixez dug his claws into Chaos and pulled him close enough to sink his fangs into his arm. A scream alerted Chaos that Mae was in trouble. Reixez was slightly winded from the chase and excessive use of magic, and Chaos managed to throw him off before breaking out of the building to find her.

The demon was not going to let Chaos get away that easy. His blood was almost as tasty as the raven haired woman he so desperately sought. Chaos flew into the air, dodging the blades of the helicopter, which immediately resumed its attack on Reixez, the big bullets of the machine gun tearing apart the wings on his back.

Mae let out another cry of pain and Chaos dove down to the street, searching wildly for her. The scent her blood clouded his senses and he followed the drips on the pavement to the windshield of the truck that hit her, scaring the daylights out of an already traumatized man who quickly fled his vehicle.

Chaos climbed onto the hood and licked the blood on the windshield. The front of the truck gave way under his weight and the winged demon slid off. He took off from the ground and watched Mae navigate her way to the exit of the city. She didn't even notice the demon land a few yards behind her as she slowed to rest a ways outside the city limits.

Chaos walked calmly up to the woman, his shadow slowly engulfing her.

* * *

Mae was about to continue towards the distant mountain range when a shadow crept over her. She watched as the large shadow spread its wings and flexed its claws. Warm breath blew against her cheek as the demon leaned in closer.

Mae felt her heart drop into her stomach. She couldn't move. Her breath caught in her throat as a low rumble came from the beast behind her. She did her best to resist the urge to run, to scream, to do _anything_ besides just stand there. But if he hadn't attacked her yet, there was a good chance he wouldn't if she stayed still.

The shadow shifted and she heard heavy footsteps as the demon circled her. Shock and confusion and more then a little fear washed over her when she saw that it wasn't Reixez. She had dealt with few other demons besides him and had no clue what to expect from this one.

It was smaller then Reixez, but still towered over her, its massive wings spread impressively behind it. Mae wasn't sure if it was trying to intimidate her or not, but if it was, it was sure as hell doing a good job. The beast came to stop in front of her, leaning down until they were face to face.

Mae found she could not control the tremors that were running up and down her body. Her grip on the silver katana at her side left her knuckles white and her hands aching.

Terrified, but determined, Mae forced herself to meet the eyes of the demon. When she did her heart stopped.

"V-Vincent?" she stammered. The creature's eyes narrowed and its massive clawed hands grabbed her arms pinning them to her side. Mae let out a small squeak of fear at the abrupt action. Chaos ignored it and lowered his head to her wounded shoulder, sniffing the blood there.

Mae was breathing heavily from fear and exertion and didn't dare make a move to resist the demon. She knew those crimson eyes. But how had Vincent become a demon?

Chaos let out a low growl and ripped the strap on Mae's tank top to gain better access to her wound. Mae jumped and tried to pull away. Chaos held her steady, ignoring her actions.

"Vincent…" she said meekly. "Vincent, can you hear me?" Mae felt something warm and smooth run along the wound on her shoulder, making it sting. "O-ow! Stop it!"

Chaos ran his tongue over the wound repeatedly, savoring the taste of the woman's blood. The said woman was now starting to move around a bit more, and was making loud noises that were starting to irritate him. He growled and she stopped. He resumed cleaning the wound.

When he was done he looked at the small woman in front of him and nuzzled her affectionately.

Mae had no idea what was going on. At first she thought that the demon, who may very well be Vincent, was going to eat her, then she thought that maybe it was just trying to clean her wound by licking it, kinda like a dog would, though that would make no sense.

Demons weren't exactly all warm and fuzzy especially towards humans. It surprised her when the big scary looking demon started nuzzling her affectionately and practically purring. It sat down on the ground, dragging her with it and she found herself awkwardly petting its massive head.

What a day…

**:: Muahahaha! My evil plot to destroy cities is working! Next, possibly Midgar, maybe Niblehiem... maybe even Wutai. I dunno. I'll destroy some other hapless city, worry not!**

**Reno: And people say _I _have problems...**

**Me: *death glare followed my evil smile* Oh the plans I have for you... hehehe ...**

**Reno: *sweat drop* Um... help?::**


	10. Of Remarks and Red Heads

**::Wow! You are so lucky you're getting this chapter when you are! My internet has been down ever since the last chapter got posted. I was afraid I wouldn't get to post before I left for Stockton on Tuesday. Which reminds me... This may be the last chapter you get for a while. It all depends on when I can get my internet set up. Hopefully it will be a relatively painless process and won't take long, but lords knows with my luck :/**

**For all of you who have no clue where Reno was in the last chapter, I'll give you a hint. Remember who the pilot of the helicopter was in Advent Children? Remember the helicopter? And the "flash of red hair" mentioned in the last chapter? Yeah. That was my Reno appearance. Hehe. I'm evil I know.**

**Cookies to all my readers, yes even those of you who don't review, you get cookies too. I'm in a generous mood tonight :) The next time I come to you I will officially be a college girl! Wish me luck!**

**Disclaimer: You should know by now, I own no Final Fantasy chars, but all OC's are mine and death will come swift and sure to any who try to steal them!::**

**Chapter 10**

Back at the airship Cid was being fussed over by Tifa. He had a few bruises and his ribs were going to be sore for a while. Tifa had carefully wrapped him up, making sure it was tight. The grumpy man wasted no time telling her to 'get the hell away from him,' and that 'he was FINE goddamnit!'

Cloud waited patiently for Tifa to give the pilot her seal of approval and then proceeded to grill him on what happened and why half of Junon now looked like a war zone.

"Me and Vin found the girl," Cid said taking a puff of his soggy, bent cigarettes. Tifa shook her head disapprovingly but did not try to wrestle the cigarette away. She knew better.

"Lousy traitorous bitch…" Yuffie mumbled as she walked in. Red and Barret followed.

"That's enough Yuffie!" Cid hollered. Yuffie crossed her arms, her eyes sharp as the daggers she most certainly wanted to plant in Mae, but bit her tongue. "Vin ran ahead and found her in a house. By the time I got there, she was asleep. I expressed our concerns over the mark, and we both came to the same conclusion…"

Cid paused to take another drag, making sure that Red and Cloud were paying close attention. Red because he was the primary one against Mae, and Cloud because he was undecided and his opinion would be reflected by Tifa.

"The curse mark can be used to trace her, but we think that the limit of control that Reixez has over her through the mark is manipulation of her dreams."

Cloud frowned. "How do you know that for sure? And how do you know what she dreams?"

"Vincent can sense nightmares," he replied hesitantly. He didn't want to put up Vincent's business, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't mind too much if it was in defense of Mae. "He says hers are pretty damn bad. Besides, if the man was able to gain control of her, don't you think he would have taken over her already? We didn't even know she had the damn mark until recently, and she had plenty of opportunity and time to kill us before that."

Cid let his words sink in. Tifa and Cloud seemed to agree with his point, Barret was fidgeting and not really listening much and both Red and Yuffie weren't buying it. At all.

"I still think it's unwise to trust the girl. She attacked Vincent, and left him for dead in that alley," Red said vehemently. "I don't care about her nightmares. She probably brought them on herself. As for Reixez taking over her body, what makes you think he has to? Mae was herself when she ran from the alley, just as she was herself when she attacked Vincent."

"Vincent…" Come to mention it, Vincent had deftly changed the subject when he mentioned the attack. But he had been tenderly holding the woman when he found them. Cid sighed. "Vincent said nothing on the attack," he said finally.

Yuffie huffed triumphantly.

"But," Cid said a bit louder. "She was in a sorry state when he found her, and he did not hesitate to care for her. He did not seem to think she was a threat."

"The little whore probably put a spell or a curse on him," Yuffie said venomously. Cid glared at her, annoyed by her childish demeanor.

"How Yuffie? Status spells last no longer then an hour unless its poison and he had been away from her for almost two days." Yuffie growled.

"I don't know! She did something to him because-"

"Because what!" Cid interrupted. "Because he is ignoring you in favor of her? Control your childish jealousy and grow the hell up!" Cid got up, off the medical table he'd been sitting on and walked stiffly out of the room, ignoring the pain in his ribs.

Cloud sighed wearily and battled the insistent migraine that was intent on making his day worse. Tifa took sympathy on him and used a cure spell to dull the headache. Cloud thanked her with a peck on the cheek.

His cell started to ring and he fished it out of his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Yo Cloud, what's up?" The voice on the other end was cheerful, irritating Cloud more.

"What is it Reno?" There was more then a hint of impatience in his voice. He was hoping Reno got the hint. He didn't.

"Well I was just calling you up to let you know that there is a rather large beasty running around creating havoc in Junon. We managed to injure it, but it kinda disappeared from view and we can't seem to find it again."

Cloud hit his head against the nearest wall. "Reno, please tell me that you didn't shoot at Vincent…"

"Vincent? No! I know what his freaky demon form thingy looks like. This other demon thing was bigger and meaner looking." Cloud could see him in his minds eye making clawing motions with his hands while haphazardly balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder. "We caught it trying to eat a civilian and managed to slow it long enough for her to escape. She was kinda cute…"

"Reno," Cloud said impatiently.

"Alright, alright. Vincent showed up and attacked the other demon before leaving again. Kinda rude if you ask me…"

"What did the female look like?"

"Aww, Cloud, now I thought you and Tifa were dating…" Cloud growled into the phone.

"Alright! Sheesh, never let a guy have any fun… She had black waist length hair and a pretty face. Hard to make out the color of her eyes from that distance, but I would say they looked blue. Nice butt too…"

"Mae…" Cloud ignored the lewd comment and annoying voice on the other side of the phone to contemplate the incident. If it was a different demon, and it was after Mae, there was a good chance that the demon was Reixez. That would make sense, but it would also make things a lot more complicated.

"Reno," Cloud said interrupting the red head's rant about all the cute woman being taken. "Do you know what direction the woman and Vincent went towards?"

"They both headed East to the edge of Junon." Cloud motioned for Tifa to get Cid. She nodded and left.

"Ok, thanks Reno."

"Hey! No problem! We're willing to help out anytime!" Barret nudged Cloud on the arm. Cloud glanced over. He had forgotten that he was still in the room.

"Do ya think I could go see Marlene?" Cloud noticed the gunman dancing from foot to foot anxiously. "Ya know, have the Turks gimme a ride to Midgar?"

Cloud was about to tell him that it might not be safe, but didn't have the heart. The poor guy wanted to make sure his kid was ok, and Cloud wanted to know how Marlene and Denzel were fine.

"Sure Barret, hang on. Reno, you still there?"

"Yep!" came the enthusiastic reply.

"Do me a favor and take Barret to Midgar ok?"

"Sure, we're heading back there anyway."

"Good. We'll leave him at the air port."

"Okie dokie!"

* * *

Mae was still trying to figure out why a rather large gruesome demon was acting like a house pet when the Shera flew overhead of her. Chaos looked up momentarily distracted from the soothing hands scratching various spots on his head. They were enveloped in the shadow of the airship momentarily before it moved on slowing to bank and let off the passengers.

They were hovering a good distance away. A rope ladder was thrown over the side to provide a safer exit from the airship. Mae stayed where she was, calmly petting the demon in her lap. Cloud was the first one to reach her.

He was amazed by the sight of the petite woman petting Chaos as if he were a normal house cat. He stared at her as if to say, 'What the hell?'

Mae simply shrugged and continued to run her hands over the demon's head. Tifa and Red were the next to play witness to the strange sight. Chaos hadn't minded Cloud's presence, but at Red's he growled and flexed his claws, digging them into the ground. His wings spread and he glared at the large cat.

Red's eyes narrowed, but he stepped back in respect of the demon's power. Mae almost smiled at the cat's plight. Almost. Cloud watched the exchange lightly, before addressing Mae.

"How long has he been like that?" Mae shrugged, unsure of what he was referring to; the placid state of the demon of his actual form. Cloud narrowed his eyes. Mae sighed and decided to elaborate.

"I have no clue how long he's been in this form, I was to busy running from a blood crazed demon to count the minutes. And this is Vincent right?" Cloud nodded. "Well he was human when I left him last." She looked down at the demon thoughtfully. It was still glaring at Red XIII. "If I had to guess I'd say it's been anywhere from fifteen minutes to a half an hour."

Slightly amazed by how quick she adjusted to the fact that Vincent had a demon in him, Cloud took a moment to respond. "He normally doesn't stay in that form for very long, though there have been occasions where he has stayed that way for days…"

"What about the other demon," Red prompted impatiently.

"Yeah…" Cloud looked up from the ground and locked eyes with Mae. "The demon that Reno saw, the one that was chasing you… It was Reixez right?" Mae nodded.

"He found us and knocked out Cid. He was going to kill Vincent, so I tried to lure him away. The only problem was that he had tasted Vincent's blood and he was losing his human senses to blood lust. I knew that he would not leave his _meal_," she said spitting out the word with hate, "without proper incentive. So I drew some of my own blood to get his attention."

"I take it that your plan worked."

"A little to well," Mae admitted, breaking eye contact with Cloud to stare and the sedate demon sitting at her feet. "It was actually my fault that he transformed," she said sheepishly. "I knew he would if he caught scent of my blood in that state, causing him to go crazy from blood lust, losing whatever was left of his humanity…"

She looked up at Cloud with conviction in her eyes. "But I was _not _going to let him kill Vincent." Cloud was a bit taken aback by the sheer determined passion in her voice. She was daring him to tell her she had been wrong to do what she did.

"I'm glad," he said with a disarming smile. Mae's eyes lost their hard look. She let out a soft breath and smiled back wearily. Tifa looked up at the sky. More storm clouds were rolling in.

"Why don't we all get back to the airship? It looks like it's going to rain again."

"Great idea!" Mae said enthusiastically. "Only," she said playfully, "I happen to have a slight problem here." She pointed to the content demon who was still practically laying on her. "Just a little one, you know…" Her smile was contagious and Cloud was soon laughing at the ridiculous situation.

Vincent was going to be mortified when he got back to normal.

Red wasn't sharing in the humor. Chaos watched the cat out of the corner of his eyes, knowing full well he harbored ill intent towards his human companion. Speaking of the devil, she was trying to stand up. Chaos reluctantly moved off of her and stood as well, making sure he stretched to his full height to intimidate the fire cat staring down his mistress.

His intimidation technique worked on Red as well as Cloud and Tifa who were now eyeing Chaos warily. Mae didn't seem perturbed in the least though. Cloud noted this with some fascination, though he had to admit that being chased by someone like Reixez and standing next to a demon that had just been purring placidly in her lap didn't really compare.

"What are we going to do about Vincent? Can he go in the airship like this?" Cloud looked over to the smug demon, who was daring him with his eyes to say no. Cloud raised an eye brow at that one, but shrugged and said simply,

"It's up to Cid…"

* * *

"Hell the fuck no!" Cid said gripping the controls tightly. "You are not, I repeat NOT letting Chaos onto my beautiful airship!" Mae sighed and crossed her arms.

"He won't do anything, I'll make sure of it…"

"Ha!" the pilot scoffed. "You think you can control him? No one can control a demon." Mae frowned and glared angrily at the pilot.

"You're right, no one can control a demon, but Vincent-"

"Chaos."

"-listens to me for whatever reason and I'm sure that he will be fine. We can confine him to the Chocobo stables if that makes you happier." Cid tossed his cigarette butt into a bucket at his feet and lit another cancer stick. Tifa had replaced the ash tray when emptying it became a daily chore that Cid refused to do.

"Happier, heh," the pilot laughed ruefully. "I would be happier if he were to stay outside."

"Well that's all fine and dandy on a normal day when you don't have a blood crazed demon chasing us," Mae said exasperated.

No matter how much he wanted to fight it he knew the stubborn girl was right. He wasn't going to go down without a fight though…

Just as Cid was about to protest again Tifa ran into the room, slightly winded and her face pinched with worry. "Chaos is on the ship, he's headed this way." Cid got really red in the face and so worked up that he couldn't even mutter the choice curse words running through his head.

Seeing this, Mae hurried out towards the demon to prevent any impending disaster. It didn't take her long to find him and he stopped the moment he figured he was close enough.

"Come on Vincent, let's get you to the stables before Cid has a coronary…" The demon followed obediently in her steps. Mae should have been surprised, or honored that a demon was being so submissive towards her, but she'd had a long day, and knew better then to jinx something with a few misplaced words or thoughts.

The moment they entered the stables the Chocobos made themselves scarce, getting as far away from Chaos as they could, most choosing to return to their stalls to cower in the hay. Chaos growled at a rather small bundle of feathers that was traipsing around as if nothing unusual was going on.

Mae scooped up the little bird, who immediately tried to escape and dig into her pack. "Behave you little monster or I'll feed you to Chaos," she said battling the baby Chocobo playfully.

Chaos growled at his loss of attention. Maybe he could lure the bird close enough to chomp off a wing or two…

Sensing the thoughts of the demon going down a violent path, Mae handed the bird to its mother who was digging through a pile of hay looking for the rascally little baby. Chaos lay down on the soft layer of hay on the floor, tired of hunching over to avoid hitting the ceiling.

Mae walked back over, stretched out and lay by the far corner of the pen. Chaos did not like this arrangement, so he crawled over to Mae, nudging her away from the corner. She protested loudly, but the demon ignored her and curled up in the corner.

"You know, if you wanted to sit there you should have done it _before_ I got comfortable!" Chaos could feel the irritation coming off the dark haired woman in waves. She stood up to find a different place to lie down, but was stopped when Chaos, unceremoniously grabbed her and dumped her back on her butt.

Mae found herself snuggled up to the demon who had none to gently told her to stay put but use of force. Under normal circumstances, she would have immediately vanquished said demon and went on her way, but this particular demon happened to be Vincent, and had provided her with emotional comfort just the night before.

So, between guilt and curiosity, Mae came to the conclusion that maybe it was best to stay close to him. Just in case. Fatigue from the frantic running coupled with the stress of the day had Mae yawning. She fell asleep moments after gathering enough hay to make a decent pillow. She made a mental note to get another shower in the morning so she didn't smell like a dirty Chocobo before sleep claimed her.

**:: So yeah, once again, the reason for Chaos' strange (to say the least) behavior, will be revealed at a later date. From the looks of it, much later. The plot thickens in the next chapter, and it will have a nasty little cliff hanger that will have me hiding under my bed until I post the following chapter.**

**This chapter is for ObsessedAngel who screamed for Reno.**

**Any suggestions or ideas are welcomed and encouraged! Reviews wouldn't hurt either... ::**


	11. The Beginning of the End

**::Hey everyone, sorry for the delay! I have been enjoying college life, and mourning the loss of friends loved. I am also regretting the drama that I could have escaped by staying at college instead of visiting. sigh Not in a good place right now, kinda depressed. This chapter sorta followed the pattern of my day today. Every thing seemed to be going my way...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy anything, but I will flay your ass if you touch my Mae, Reixez or any story concepts or other originals. ::**

**Chapter 11**

It was so warm and comfortable. Mae recalled the last time she'd been wrapped up in the warm haze of over sleeping. It had been back when she had just turned 17. It was in the middle of winter and all of her friends had come over to celebrate a late birthday with her. She'd gotten the weekend off from work. It had been snowing so hard that her work called to let her know they were closed and to not bother coming in.

So while the world was covered in a haze of white crystal they had spent all day and half of the night eating chocolate and drinking her mom's sangria, talking of old jokes and funny stories. There had been nothing but silly laughter and good memories. They eventually passed out watching old movies on the floor.

It hadn't been very comfortable, sleeping on that floor, but neither was the floor Mae was currently on. They had used each other for pillows and two thread bare blankets were all they had thought to drag to the floor before becoming to tired and lazy to retrieve more suitable ones.

Mae remembered placing a few logs in the fire place and drowsily watching her friends sleep thinking about how perfect life would be if people could be that happy all the time.

Back then, her friends had been everything to her. Her family, though she loved them, had always been distant. Her father and mother had divorced several years ago, and though she still talked to her father, they weren't close anymore. Her mother was too wrapped up in trying to find her own life and happiness that she had forgotten about her daughters. And Mae's sister.

Mae's heart grew heavy thinking about her sister. Her poor little sister who had always been a rival to her, fighting her with everything. They had never been close, though Mae had secretly wanted it to be other wise. Her sister was her closest family member, and yet so far away.

It was one of the reasons Mae clung so dearly to her friends. They loved and accepted her as their own, and for that, Mae was eternally grateful. They had become her family.

Mae took solace in the fact that she had gotten them away from Reixez before he could harm them. The disgusting demon would not have hesitated to gloat in her face about their deaths, would revel from it in fact, but so far, he had said nothing.

As long as they were safe, Mae was happy. Most of the time, the dream of seeing them again was all she needed to keep her going. Lately that had not been the case. The ceaseless running from Reixez and the countless lives shed in order to harm her in some way were making her lose what little motivation she had left for living.

She had finally realized the sad truth of it was that she was never going to see them again. Reixez knew where she was at all times. The moment he even suspected she was with them, they would be dead.

She sometimes felt as if he was in her mind, watching her very thoughts. Those thoughts were quickly banished though, because thinking on them would only lead to paranoia, and she was stressed out enough as it was. The last thing she needed was to agonize over what she could think. That would only lead to bad headaches and Advil overdoses.

Mae felt the warm cocoon around her shift. As a matter of fact, she could feel it breathing, slow and steady.

Mae opened her eyes. She was having a hard time remembering where she was. It was a bright room covered in hay and there was a distinct heavy warmth behind her. She found the source of that warmth to be a tad more interesting then the room.

When she rolled over to see what it was, two strong arms enveloped her and pulled her closer. Memories came flooding back to her when she looked up into the finely chiseled face of Vincent Valentine. He was sleeping. His clothes looked disheveled, and his headband was askew.

Mae tried to free her arms, which were pinned against his chest, but Vincent's reaction was to pull her closer. Mae felt fire race up her body in response. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

Feeling, flustered and self conscious Mae leaned back away from his face only to have one of his arms snake up and pull her close again. So close in fact that his lips grazed her cheek.

Mae sucked in a surprised breath, utterly confused by the sensations running through her body. Everywhere he touched her was enveloped in tingling sensations, and there was a warm feeling seated in her stomach.

The other night his hand on her back provided soothing support. Now as it traveled slowly up her back, it sent electric chills shooting up and down her spine. Mae shivered lightly and felt her cheeks grow hot. She knew she was blushing.

Vincent murmured something in her ear. Mae wasn't sure what it was, couldn't care less actually. Her body was on fire and it was both exciting and unnerving.

"V-Vincent?" she stammered uncertainly.

Vincent awoke slowly at the mention of his name, breathed softly over the supple lips of the woman he held so closely. Something soft tickled at his nose. It smelled wonderful.

"Vincent?"

A jolt of mingled fear and surprise brought Vincent to full awareness. His eyes were round as saucers and he knew the stray curl of raven colored hair tickling the end of his nose. He stiffened, but didn't pull back. Maybe she would think he was still sleeping.

One of the hands captured between him and the warm body pressed against him started to wriggle around, seeking escape. It slithered down trying to find its way around his arms and Vincent had to bite back a moan when it came dangerously close to his growing anatomy. He had to think of something quick or Mae would notice his… problem.

He could almost hear her yell at him is disgust, and feel the bite of her slap across his face. He didn't want to scare her off.

Still feigning sleep Vincent loosened his hold on Mae and slowly turned over. He moved slowly to make it look real, and prayed she didn't notice the bulge in his pants.

Mae had just gotten her hand free when Vincent's arms were suddenly gone and he was rolling away from her. She shivered at the loss of warmth, and lay there hesitant, almost waiting for him to turn around and hold her again.

Wait… wasn't she just trying to get away from him? Mae propped herself up with one arm and silently admonished herself for such weak thoughts. She was trying _not_ to get attached to people, and here she was wishing… wishing what? For him to turn around and proclaim his love? No, maybe not that, but she certainly wanted him to hold her again.

Mae sighed and hugged her legs to her chest. Vincent was becoming a problem. Not only was she starting to become dependent on his company, she was starting to like it, yearn for it. Not to mention that he had a demon in him. Just like Reixez…

No, she would not think of him like that. Vincent was a far cry from the sadistic blood crazy lunatic that slaughtered so many to hurt her. Hell, he killed just for kicks, to see the blood of another run from their body and paint their surroundings red.

And what was up with Vincent's demon anyway? Cid had called it Chaos. _Heh, what an appropriate name for a demon,_ Mae thought with a smirk. Chaos… that's all demon cause and yet, Vincent's demon was strangely sedate around her. From the reactions of the others, that wasn't normally the case.

She wondered why it was different with her. Reixez's demon acted strange around her too, except his demon seemed wary of her, where as Vincent's seemed almost as if it was a puppy looking for love.

It was ironic. A big, scary, blood thirst demon who would no sooner look at you then rip your insides out and eat them for breakfast and it was… purring. Mae started giggling. The more she thought about it the funnier it got and soon she was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically.

Vincent was lying on his side, fighting the urge to turn around and pull Mae back to him, regardless of what she felt. He was frustrated with himself, frustrated with his body's actions and torn between wanting Mae to leave or crawl back into his arms. Therefore when he heard the quiet giggles behind him, softer and sweeter then wind chimes, he became utterly lost and confused.

The giggles turned to outright laughter and Vincent couldn't help turning over to see what was so damn funny.

Mae was lying on her back a short distance from him, her arms wrapped around her stomach and her head thrown back as she laughed.

Vincent couldn't see what was so funny. He gave a quick glance around the room, but his eyes quickly returned to Mae. He felt his face grow warm. She practically glowed in her merriment. Her hair was a wreck, her shirt torn and bloody, and she had straw sticking out of various places. Her skin was milky white, marred only in places by dirt and dried blood.

Mae must have noticed she now had an audience because she turned her head towards him, the smile still gracefully on her lips. Her eyes opened a fraction, still smiling at him, their iridescent gaze glimmering with delight. Vincent's breath caught at the sight of them.

Mae seemed unashamed of her strange hysterical outburst and instead sat up, knees tucked beneath her and tilted her head to the side in a cute attempt to be level with him.

"Good morning sleepy head." Vincent was mesmerized by the slight color in her cheeks, and the soft red lips that smiled at him so sweetly. And the effervescent aqua orbs that lit up ever so slightly when they feel on him. Gods he could get lost in her eyes.

Mae watched the confused look on Vincent's face with residual humor. He looked so cute with his hair all messed up and his normally stoic face lit up with confusion and a myriad of other emotions she couldn't quite catch. She'd never been good at reading people.

She smiled at him, thinking of how perturbed he would be when the others broke it to him that his demon was a tad more tamed then he started out. Poor guy. The others were going to grill him, Cid in particular…

Mae looked up at the bright square where the day's new light was flooding into the Chocobo stable. She couldn't believe how utterly happy she felt just then. So content to be sitting here in a stable, dirty and beat up with a demon possessed man who had held her so tenderly just a short while ago. She sighed and let her eyes drop to half mast.

Rustling and movement to her side tugged at her attention, but she ignored it until a soft touch glided along her cheek. She barely had time to turn her head before a pair of warm lips touched lightly against hers.

Immediately that fire from earlier engulfed her body yet again. Vincent was kissing her. His lips were not demanding, rather tentative, shy, asking. She unintentionally leaned it to the kiss, her body screaming for more even as her mind ran in circles screaming, what the hell are you doing?

Vincent took this as a sign of consent and pressed a little more firmly against her. His other arm snaked around her waist pulling her body flush against his and his other hair made its way into her hair, tangling it self into the unruly curls massed there.

Mae gave a small whimper as Vincent rubbed his body against her. She found her hands moving up his chest, shyly feeling the muscles beneath the dark shirt he wore. One stayed to knead a very interesting shoulder muscle while the other moved back down to his stomach to feel out the other rigid plains of his body.

Vincent gave a soft moan at her touch and Mae felt a bolt of fire settle in her lower body. She pressed herself closer to Vincent as he ran his tongue against her lips, begging to be let in. Mae opened her mouth in a slightly pained gasp as Vincent ran his hand over the wound on her shoulder.

As soon as she opened her mouth his tongue invaded her, tasting her, wrapping around her tongue forcing her to push back, to taste him too.

God she was on fire, pulling at his shirt, trying to get him closer. Her mind was still complaining about something, but she had ceased to listen, her sensed all centered on what Vincent was doing to her. His hands traveling down her stomach, his thumbs brushing ever so lightly on the base of her breasts, not quite daring that much yet.

Vincent moved against her again. This time Mae felt the hardness that reflected his growing passions and gave a startled moan. Vincent responded by moving against her again, desperate to hear her voice. Mae didn't miss the low candor of his voice either. It melted her insides and sent jolts of electric pleasure up her spine.

Vincent broke the kiss only when air became necessary, his crimson eyes blazing with hunger as they pinned Mae's own passion filled cerulean ones. He stared intently into her eyes, watching every flicker of feeling pass through them and he slowly took her lower lip in his teeth and nibbled it gently.

Mae felt her heart flip as she gazed at the blazing fire in Vincent's eyes. Her knees seemed to be made of putty, and it was all she could do to keep them from turning to mush beneath her. Vaguely she wondered if Vincent would catch her.

Vincent licked her swollen lips and moved his nibbles and bites to Mae's neck. Mae tilted her head back with a gasp as Vincent moved down towards her collar bone, pausing only to blow cool air on her heated skin.

Mae tangled her hand in his hair and clutched as him, pulling him towards her, biting her lip in an attempt to quiet the little sounds of encouragement that wanted to escape her. Vincent growled, the low sound vibrating along her skin where he touched her. She shivered.

As he kissed his way back to her lips, Mae heard the distant sound of a door opening. That was immediately cast aside on her list of things to pay attention to when Vincent's lips were suddenly on hers again.

"VINCENT!" The strident squeal made Vincent jump back, breaking contact with a dazed Mae who was now looking around in a stupor.

Yuffie was standing in the doorway of the Chocobo stables, an almost comical look of surprise on her face. It was soon twisted and marred by an ugly look of hate when her eyes settled on Mae. She took in her disheveled appearance and immediately came to a conclusion about what had taken place. It wasn't far from the truth.

"Bitch!" she hissed taking out her shuriken and throwing it with vicious intent at Mae, who was still in a passion induced haze. Vincent was in shock, and his whole body seemed to move slower then normal, his arm to slow to stop the dangerous weapon that streaked towards Mae.

Fear so palpable it hurt seared through his entire being. But it was too late, he had moved to far away from her. The large shuriken embedded itself up to the hilt into Mae's chest.

**::Yeah. Welcome to my life. Reviews appreciated. ::**


	12. To Lay or Die

**::Hey Ya'll! Would've gotten this chapter to you sooner but the loss of internet in my dorm room sorta prevented it. I left you with a nasty cliff hanger last time *dodges various thrown objects*, but I'm back to add more to the doom and toil! So it's all good :) . Anywho, enjoy, reviews are appreciated as well as constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: I own no Final Fantasy Characters! Mae, Reixez and all other original characters or story concepts are mine! Touch them and you will never touch again! And yes I was referring to cutting your hand off...**

**Lots of you were asking about Mae, well here's your answer... ::**

**Chapter 12**

Pain clouded Mae's senses as she felt the blade break through the protective bone in her chest. Breathing seemed harder then before, and warm liquid was obstructing her air ways. She tried to cough it up, but more seemed to replace it.

Vincent watched as Mae stumbled back. A spray of blood spewed from her mouth, a pathetically weak cough shaking her form. Her beautiful eyes, alight with passion only moments ago were now dull and pleading as they locked with his. The moment seemed to slow, frozen as her eyes sent messages of pain and regret to him before rolling back into her head. She fell, her head lolling to the side, blood snaking down her pale face.

Vincent couldn't even reach for her, tears stinging his eyes and fury burning his throat. He turned to Yuffie, his eyes ferocious, hungering for the blood of the one who did this. His pupils contracted to slits, Chaos tearing through his mind screaming for carnage and revenge, but still to weak to take over Vincent after transforming so recently.

The growl that tore from his throat was brutish and animalistic. Though Chaos could not make him transform, he could still lend him strength and savage instinct.

Yuffie cowered at the hostility directed at her. Her rage and jealousy all but forgotten as Vincent slowly stalked towards her. She whimpered and reached for another weapon. A quick check yielded nothing but a materia band with a few status materia and a cure. All of her powerful materia were lodged in her weapon which happened to be lodged in Mae.

_Damnit!_ she thought as Vincent's form grew closer. He seemed so much taller as he stood over her, menacing and violent. He pulled back his fist and Yuffie ducked, barely avoiding the shot. She bounded away, dodging two more crazed blows. She felt a small sting and looked down to see her leg had a decent sized scratch in it.

He gaze shot back up to Vincent who was flexing his clawed hand and bearing his elongated fanged teeth at her. Under normal circumstances she would have found his vampire like fangs dead sexy, but faced with them when he was out of his mind with anger they were down right scary.

Why was he so angry anyway? He couldn't have cared about the stupid little slut anyway. Yuffie was much more desirable then that demon's whore. No doubt Reixez had already taken Mae's body for himself numerous times, though she couldn't see what the big deal about her was anyway. She was just a skinny little whore who could barely use a sword.

Yuffie was a proud warrior descended from a line of top notch ninja! Vincent would surely be happier with her then that little cunt bleeding on the floor.

A plan started to form in Yuffie's mind. Vincent couldn't want what wasn't there, could he… And seeing as she was already dead he wouldn't have much to miss anyway…

Yuffie waited until Vincent was towering over her again before raising the arm with her materia band.

"Sleep!" she said with as much force as she could muster. Her voice shook in her fear. The spell settled over Vincent, making his eyes glaze with fatigue. He stumbled back, shaking his head as if to ward off the spell. "Sleep!" The spell settled over him again, making Vincent fall to the ground on one knee.

"N-no…" he whispered, fighting off the heavy weight of sleep. Mae lay cold and still not to far from him. He stared at the blood covering her small body and started to cry. He couldn't help it. His heart felt like it was ripping in two, and he couldn't even take revenge for her. Couldn't even find the strength to fight off the spell long enough to crawl to her, just to hold her, see if she was still alive.

"Mae…" his voice was strangled with agony as he toppled over. He reached his arm out to her, his finger lightly grazing her cheek. Yuffie leaned over him, her eyes softened with her love for him.

"Sleep," she said softly. Vincent felt the warm tears still running down his face even as the spell pulled him into blackened oblivion.

* * *

"Yuffie! Didn't I tell you to leave those two alone…?" Cid stopped dead in his tracks. Yuffie was leaning over Mae's body holding a bloodied shuriken that had obviously been imbedded in the woman a few moments prior.

Cid's jaw hung open, his mind unable to form words suitable for the situation in front of him. Mae was lying still, her skin deathly pale. Vincent was lying across from her, not moving, but Cid noted the slow rise and fall of his chest. He was still alive. Mae however…

"It's not what it looks like," Yuffie said calmly. Far to calm for Cid's frazzled nerves to handle.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'it's not what it looks like'? It's exactly what it looks like you miserable fucking-"

"She attacked him!" Yuffie cut in.

"Bull fucking shit Yuffie! You killed her! You actually fucking… killed her…" Cid's voice broke and the gravity of what he said hit him.

Yuffie watched the sadness over the loss of Mae's life cross over the pilot's face and felt her anger start to simmer once again. What the fuck was so goddamned special about her! Why did they care so much about some little girl who can't kill one man and is to pathetic to protect anyone let alone herself! Yuffie was a warrior and had helped save the planet once already. Hell, she just saved Vincent from the clutches of the corrupt little bitch right now hadn't she?

Cid looked back to Yuffie, whose face betrayed none of the turbulent emotions coursing through her body. She actually had a little smirk on her face.

"You're wrong Cid…"

At first Cid thought she meant Mae was still alive, but Yuffie quickly clarified.

"I saved Vincent from her. She attacked him, right in front of me! What else could I do? Her eyes got all funny and she went after him… it was all I could do to fight her off…" Yuffie's eyes got a little strange. The more she talked, the crazier she looked. Desperate almost. Not for Cid to believe her, but more so she could convince herself.

Cid watched her carefully, very aware that he had left Venus Gospel up in his room. Damn him for letting down his guard! He couldn't have predicted this particular situation, but they were all supposed to be ready at all times, just in case Reixez dropped in for a visit.

Yuffie wiped the blood from her shuriken on her short shorts and tucked it haphazardly in her pouch. Cid didn't fail to note that the latch was left unhooked. She moved to pick up Vincent but Cid pulled a small pocket knife from his boot.

"Stay away from him Yuffie." He tried to make his voice sound intimidating, but instead it sounded hollow and raspy. Without taking his eyes off of her he moved over to Mae's body and felt lightly along her neck for a pulse.

Yuffie watched the pilot; her normally bright brown eyes were black and cold. She did not move to take Vincent. Instead she waited.

Cid had almost given up on a pulse when a faint movement, a murmur of life, alerted him that Mae was still alive. Thanking all the gods he could think of, Cid used the cure materia stuck in his pocket for emergencies repeatedly on Mae. Every time he used it the black anger in Yuffie grew, her eyes glittering with unspent fury.

Sensing this, Cid stopped long enough to call for help. "Cloud! Tifa! Get your asses in here! NOW!" Yuffie immediately donned her mask again and sat calmly on the floor, her ebony eyes as placid as a lake on a day with no wind. Completely and utterly blank. Cid found this more disturbing then her anger.

Cloud burst through the doors, his stance rigid from the hint of desperation in Cid's voice. Tifa followed moments later. They both took in the scene and in seconds Tifa was casting cure spells and Cloud was cautiously edging towards Yuffie and Vincent.

"Yuffie… is Vincent hurt?" he asked monotonously.

"No, I stopped her before she could hurt him. She knocked him out though. He probably has a big old goose egg on his head now." Her smile didn't reach her eyes and the humor in her voice was empty. Cloud felt a chill run up his spine.

"Why don't you let me check…?" Yuffie let her dead smile drop away from her face.

"I already checked him."

Cloud held up his hand. "I still think it would be best if I make sure…"

"I said I already checked him." The hostility in her voice threw him, but Cloud wasn't going to back down.

"And I said I want to make sure." His voice was hard and the look in his eyes even harder.

Yuffie didn't appreciate that, nor did she appreciate the way his hands started roaming around her Vincent. Cloud pointedly ignored her, confident that she would not be openly hostile towards him with Tifa and Cid so close.

Vincent had no apparent injuries, and there wasn't even a bump on his head. A sneaking suspicion tugged at the edge of Cloud's mind. He held his bangle up to Vincent and one of the materia stared to glow.

"Status magic…"

"You're right…" Yuffie said softly. Cloud hadn't even heard her move. Yuffie softly laid her hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Confuse."

Cid looked up from Mae to see Yuffie hovering over Cloud. "Cloud?" he said warily. Cloud turned around.

"Yes?" Yuffie slunk back to her previous spot and ran her hands through Vincent's hair, reveling in the soft silky texture.

"I was just… uh… How's Vincent?" he finished lamely. Cloud shrugged.

"Seems fine to me," he said standing up. "Looks like he's got a bit of a bump on his head. Yuffie was telling the truth." Yuffie hid her smile as she toyed with Vincent's hair.

Cid narrowed his eyes. "I don't know Cloud, don't you think-"

"I think we should get them both up to the infirmary and ask Vincent about it when he wakes up," he said with an air of irritation.

"Yeah… sure."

Tifa watched the exchanged with trepidation. Something wasn't right. She watched a secretive smile curl across Yuffie's face. Tifa placed her hands on Cid's arm. He looked away from Cloud, confusion etched onto his stubbly face. She locked eyes with him. A mental message passed from her to him and she allowed her eyes to dart to Yuffie and back to him. Realization dawned in his eyes, visual only by the slight widening of his pupils.

Relieved Tifa turned back to Cloud. "Cloud, honey, what do you say you and Cid carry Vincent up to the infirmary and get him into one of the beds there?" Cloud blinked slowly at her then nodded.

Cid quickly walked over to pick up Vincent's feet, careful to stay away from Yuffie. Cloud seemed unsure how to react to this, staring for a moment at the pilot before going over and picking Vincent's upper half up from the ground. Yuffie touched him lightly on the shoulder, her lips making barely perceptible movements. Cloud's movements became more confident as he and Cid carted Vincent off to the infirmary.

Tifa still hovered over Mae, who was now breathing in short labored gasps. The internal damage was still eating away at her, but Tifa knew that she would live. Even though she wanted to continue to cure her, she refrained from action.

Yuffie watched the long haired woman across from her. Tifa's big brown eyes were locked onto her, but they held no hostility. Yuffie would be careful. Tifa was a warrior, much like herself and would beat Yuffie in hand to hand combat. Though Yuffie had her shuriken, Tifa knew how to disarm her, and her weapon was with her at all times.

No, attacking her head on was not an option. The older woman would be ready for that. What she needed was a distraction. A way to bring down the woman's defenses long enough for her to disable her, even kill her if she got the chance. Her musings were interrupted by a small movement from her opponent. Yuffie jumped at the slight motion, and instantly was on guard.

"Do you love him Yuffie?" Yuffie was not expecting that, of all things, and it threw her off guard. Tifa watched the younger woman, watched the confusion eat away the nervous anger in her eyes; watched the black flicker for a moment to brown again.

"Love him? Vincent?"

Tifa inclined her head, her friendly brown eyes never leaving that of the ninja's.

Yuffie found she could not look away from the other woman's eyes either.

"Of course I love him," she answered without hesitation.

"If you love him why would you hurt someone he cared about?"

"I told you she attacked him." Yuffie thought her voice sounded sure, infallible, but Tifa detected a flaw. An ounce of uncertainty.

"Yuffie," Tifa said with a sad smile, "How long have we been friends? You can tell me the truth… I already know it." Yuffie felt the black anger taking over her again.

"You know nothing." Her voice was hard, cold and bubbling with ferocity. Tifa's smile widened. Yuffie snarled, wanted to smack that damn smile right off her pretty little face.

_But why?_ a small voice in her mind said. _She's only stating the truth…_ Yuffie felt the anger die suddenly. It was true. Tifa had always been a good friend. The only other female presence in the group since Aeris' death those few long years ago. It was only natural that they bonded. They'd shared stories of childhood adventures, love and love lost, secrets…

Some part of her brain was screaming at her that it was a trap, mind manipulation, but another part was saying softly, _listen to her._

"If you love him, don't you want him to be happy?"

Yuffie pondered this. The war of emotions making her eyes dance from black to brown, her mind in a frenzied turmoil.

One part of her mind screamed, _He can only be happy with me!_

The other simply stated, _What if he can't?_

Tifa waited patiently for Yuffie to come to her senses, even though a part of her knew that it wouldn't be this easy. No, _couldn't_ be this easy. Her suspicions were justified when Yuffie looked down to the floor.

"He can only be happy with me…" she said monotonously. When she looked up, it was a jerky mechanical motion. "Only with me!" she hollered and leapt at Tifa.

* * *

Cloud and Cid entered the infirmary, which was a small room with three old beds and a stack of medical supplies near each. The beds were in pretty sad shape, but luckily the medical supplies were a bit more up to date.

Cloud placed Vincent's head on the pillow of the nearest bed and looked up at Cid who had just unceremoniously tossed Vincent's legs onto the same rickety old bed. He rubbed his cigarette on the bed post, threw it into a nearby trash can and calmly lit another. His casual adaptation of his fighting stance did not throw the stoic look from Cloud's face. He didn't seem phased in the least.

Cid watched as he slowly drew his very large sword and held it carefully at his side. "Are you going to let that little girl control you Cloud?"

Cloud didn't respond. Didn't even move.

Cid sighed. "You're going to make me do this the hard way aren't you?"

"…."

Cid laughed ruefully. "Of course you are! I'm not armed, you aren't fighting the spell, and you're very armed. What god did I manage to piss off?"

Cloud responded by taking very slow steady steps towards Cid and lifting his sword so it was parallel to his body.

"Whoa! Let's not do this in here spiky!" he said glancing at Vincent nervously. Cloud didn't listen. Cid managed to duck under the monstrous sword. Cloud struck at him with blinding speed, the air from the swing blowing open the door behind the cowering pilot. "Shit!" Cid ground his teeth.

Cloud stood over him, his face as cold and uncaring as a statue. He pulled his sword up above his head with slow deliberate movements, but Cid did not misunderstand their intent. He turned tail and dove for the door, the sword a blur as it descended breaking open the floor. Wood splintered and cracked, flying into the air.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Cid chanted as he ran for his room. Cloud was beside him in moments, "FUCK!" This time Cloud's fist came at him first, Cid ducked under the blow, practically tripping over himself trying to get down the hall way. Three doors away lay his salvation. Three measly doors.

An iron wall descended in front of him, cutting off the tip of his cigarette. Cid's mouth fell open and the other half fell to the ground. Cloud's pale face was unmoving as he lifted the sword again. Cid thought it appropriate to liken it to death's pale face. No wonder so many creatures had cowered from him in battle. Cid hadn't thought much of it, them being on the same side and all, but he could almost understand why now. Not that he really wanted this eye opener. He would have been happy not knowing how scary his ally could be when faced with his glare in battle.

"Cloud…" he said with a hint of fear. Again, with deliberate slowness the mercenary raised his sword.

Cid rolled from under the blade, amazed by the speed of the strike, and caught off guard by the follow up slice that cost him a few precious hairs from the top of his head.

"Shit!" Plaster and paint flew from the walls as Cloud's sword sliced through them like butter. "God damnit Cloud! Wake the fuck up!"

His sword still in the wall, Cloud looked up dispassionately at Cid's startled countenance. He stood up straight and went to pull his sword from the wall. It didn't move. Cloud turned and placed his other hand on the hilt to remove it from the thick beam it was lodged in.

Cid saw his chance and practically broke his door down to get to his beloved Venus Gospel. The moment he laid hands on it, a creaky groan and the sound of wood breaking wood alerted him that Cloud's sword was free. Cid turned to the door as Cloud's light foot steps echoed down the hall.

Cid took inventory on what materia he had. There was his cure materia, a bolt materia, two summon materia, and a few other materia that would be useless in this situation. He felt his panic rising as the foot steps stopped, Cloud's figure standing just outside his door.

Cid ran his fingers over the materia slots in his weapon anxiously. He could have sworn he had a heal materia equipped… A green glint in the corner of the room caught his eye. Cid's eyes darted over to the location before going back to Cloud, who had just stepped into the room, his sword pointed directly at Cid. He was done playing.

Just as Cloud pulled back his sword to jab at Cid, the pilot dove for the small night stand the little green orb was sitting on. The confused blonde mercenary wasted no time in slicing Cid's exposed back open. The pilot howled in pain, but still managed to get his hands on the small green orb, flipping himself over midair and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Esuna!" Cloud had poised his sword for the death blow, had even started the descent into the final strike, but, but to the pilot's immense relief, he stopped mid swing. Cid opened his eyes to look up into Cloud's very confused eyes.

"What…?"

Cid smiled and laid his head against the worn thin carpet. He'd have to replace it now that he was bleeding all over it.

"It's about time you came to your senses!" the pilot boomed loudly.

**:: Cid's Thoughts... "I'm to old for this..."**

**Hehe.**

**REVIEW! No seriously. I was enjoying all the reviews from the last chapter, even though I had to practically kill someone to get them... I'll do it again! And not bring them back... ::**


	13. Of Stow and Thrall

**::Loyal fans! Though few you are, I am here to give you chapter 13! *cheers and dances around like and idiot* College is great, people are awesome (excluding the drunk and high idiots who pollute the population) and classes are not as horrible as I thought they would be (yet).**

**Props to Luna of the Black Moon and fantasy-elf for their reviews! Sorry for the excessive use of curse words, but you will find out the whys of it in this chapter. If they seemed out of character, there is a reason! I promise! Lol. If not then oh well, shoot me. Anywhoddlies, love to my reviewers, hope to hear from you soon!::**

**Chapter 13**

Tifa's calm didn't leave her as she side stepped Yuffie's attack. The crazed ninja completely ignored Mae's prone body on the floor to attack her. For this Tifa was grateful. It would be much harder if she had to protect Mae and herself.

Yuffie flailed wildly at Tifa, seemingly forgetting the shuriken tucked in her pack. This gave Tifa the advantage. The older woman did not take hold of the situation immediately. She didn't want to hurt Yuffie, but from the looks of it she didn't have much of a choice. Tifa ducked under a particularly vicious punch and finally decided to take offensive action.

She grabbed the ninja's arm with her one hand, braced her midsection with the other and threw her into the center support beam. Yuffie's back exploded into an inferno of pain. Tifa didn't need to wait for her to get up as the ninja recovered almost instantly.

"You'll have to do better then that bitch," she hissed between clenched teeth. Tifa was stunned. Most would have been incapacitated by a hit like that, especially in such a sensitive area.

Tifa steeled herself as a flurry of kicks were sent towards her. She managed to block a few good blows before Yuffie hit her with a round kick, sending her stumbling into a pile of hay.

The ninja dove onto the older woman and started to beat at her with her fists. Tifa didn't tolerate the attacks very long and sent the ninja flying back with a kick to the gut. It gave her enough time to find her footing and resume her stance.

Yuffie growled and ran in a demi circle to the support beam, running up it to launch herself towards Tifa once again. The older woman side stepped the attack grabbed Yuffie's shirt and one of her legs in mid air.

She spun around once to gain momentum before tossing her into the wall. Yuffie hit it facing the ground and landed with her midsection doubled over and her butt in the air. She did not appreciate the position. She was also done horsing around.

"Let's see how you deal with this…" She pulled her shuriken from its pouch. Tifa stayed as calm as ever, though her face was a portrait of concentration. The deadly triple pronged shuriken was not to be trifled with. Yuffie took Tifa's silence with good humor, a twisted smile crossing her face. She jumped up and flicked her wrist, the gleam of the blades dancing in the musty air.

Tifa jumped the path of the blade and ran for cover. Yuffie pulled out multiple throwing stars and threw them with unerring accuracy towards the brown haired woman. One came close enough to slice the hair band at the base of Tifa's long main of hair, sending her chocolate locks flying free behind her.

Four silver stars landed in the wooden beam Tifa slid behind. Just when she thought she was safe from them, the large shuriken swung around the corner almost taking her head off. Tifa reached around to grab one of the throwing stars, only to have a duplicate thrust into her hand.

She cried out and pulled her hand back. One of the tips was embedded in her hand, but the cut wasn't deep thanks to the steel knuckles on her gloves. Tifa pulled it out and held the little silver star close to her chest, waiting for the next assault. Yuffie did as she was expected and sent the shuriken around the beam again, this time its height adjusted so that Tifa would be unable to dodge it without putting herself into a prone position.

Brown eyes flashed with determination and a small silver streak intercepted the large shuriken, knocking it off course and into the far wall. Tifa didn't stay long. She bolted around the pillar and towards Yuffie.

Three more stars came towards her. Using the remains of the one in her hand, torn and bent from deflecting the larger weapon, she knocked aside two of the stars. She wasn't so lucky with the third. It buried itself in her leg. Tifa winced, but did not slow her approach. She tossed aside the mangled throwing star and delivered a swift upper cut to Yuffie.

The ninja's head snapped back, her spine curving at an impossible angle, and her feet left the ground.

Yuffie's anger driven mind didn't even register the attack until she was lying on her back looking at the ceiling. Tifa backed away, breathing heavy. The anger was momentarily replaced by a sense of bewilderment. Why was she lying down? Yuffie got up and looked at Tifa, her eyes once again brown.

"Tifa?" Tifa's brows furrowed, and watched Yuffie suspiciously. The ninja looked a little lost. Concern started to replace suspicion. Maybe there were more forces here at work then she thought.

"Yuffie? Do you know where you are?" Yuffie tilted her head to the side, fear and worry replacing the hard look of anger that had marred her face only moments ago.

"Am I still on the Shera?" Tifa was amazed. Yuffie had been under a spell. Not confusion; that only makes the victim a puppet for the one who used the spell, and only to the extent of very jerky movements. Yuffie had been under thrall. A much more powerful and deadly spell.

"Yes you are Yuffie…" Still, to make sure, Tifa kept on her guard and kept her distance. This could merely be another trick.

Yuffie watched Tifa carefully, taking in her stance and undecided look. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she said with a hint of fear.

Tifa felt her heart break at the fear in her voice. She's always thought of Yuffie like a younger sister. She didn't want to hurt her, but the risks of letting her guard down were keeping her from relaxing.

"I think you are under thrall Yuffie…"

Yuffie paled visibly. "You mean… someone's in my head?"

Tifa's eyes filled with pain at the younger woman's plight. Her fear and emotion seemed so real… It wouldn't hurt to let down her guard just a little… would it?

"I don't know Yuffie… Do you remember anything?" Yuffie chewed on the bottom of her lip and looked down at the floor, pawing at it with her toe.

"I remember… everything up to when we found that girl Mae. After that things keep getting blurry…"

_Jesus…_ Tifa thought. _She's been under thrall _that_ long? _Tifa relaxed a bit, loosening from her stance. Her back was to the door way, and Yuffie hadn't noticed Mae's body. It was behind her.

If she was telling the truth, it was best not to let her see Mae. When a person is under thrall, their darkest thoughts and emotions are put into action. The last thing she needed was for the young ninja to trigger and go crazy again.

"Come here Yuffie," Tifa said extending her hand. A scuffle of padded feet behind her escaped Tifa's notice, so intent was she on the ninja's movements. She figured that even with her guard relatively down, it would be best to keep all attention on Yuffie, just in case. What she didn't know what that there were other dangers to be had.

The ninja took one step towards Tifa before a strange look crossed her features. She blinked and her gaze shifted to the doorway behind Tifa.

Tifa noticed this instantly.

"What is it?" Without waiting for an answer she turned towards the doorway.

* * *

Cid didn't take the time to brief Cloud on how they ended up in his room, and in Cid's case, bleeding on the floor. He simply grabbed his Venus Gospel and ran back towards the Chocobo stables. Though bewildered, Cloud followed him, his sword held at the ready.

What greeted them at the stables sent Cloud into mild shock. Yuffie was gone, Mae's body was gone and Tifa was lying on the floor. Not moving. He shakily knelt beside her and checked for any signs of life. She was breathing steadily. Angry red cuts tore open and stained the white shirt she was wearing. They littered her back and chest.

Cloud felt red hot anger burning in his chest, and a driving need to kill whoever did this clogging his throat. It was all he could do to mutter cure spells. He wanted to go after the perpetrator, but Tifa's health came first and foremost.

Curious yellow heads peeked out from the stalls. Their big ocean eyes were filled with fear and apprehension. Some of them made soft cooing sounds, while others hid their heads under their wing, huddled in the corner. One of the smaller adult Chocobos was brave enough to leave the stall and wandered cautiously towards Cloud and Tifa.

Cid watched the door. He wasn't taking any chances. No matter how much he wanted to figure out just what the hell was going on, he would not separate. He'd watched to many horror movies to let that old trick do them in. Besides, Mae had mentioned something about Reixez picking people off. So Yuffie was the perpetrator here, doesn't mean that splitting up would be any safer. Safety came in numbers. So in numbers is where they would stay.

Cloud's head snapped up. The big yellow bird knelt his head down to Tifa, then laid down next to her. Cloud was puzzled at first, but when the bird locked eyes with him, he understood. They were a fierce hard blue. One by one the rest of the flock came out and stood next to Tifa's fallen form. Cloud stood up, a sense of wonderment flooding his being. They would protect her.

"Cid, lets go."

"What! And leave her here?" The pilot glanced back to point to Tifa and yell at him some more, but his voice escaped him when he saw the army of Chocobos surrounding her. "Ba… ah… um…"

Cloud smiled at the pilot's bewildered expression. He shook his head and grabbed his arm. "Come on Cid. She'll be alright…" Loving blue eyes traveled back to the brown haired woman laying in a halo of golden feathers and blue sapphires. "She has to be…"

* * *

Red XIII drug the small raven haired woman towards the cargo hatch. His teeth drew scarlet blood from her already mangled shoulder. She had started to stir on the travel down to the hold, but Red quickly subdued her by violently clamping down on her wound, threatening with not so many words to tear her arm from her shoulder should she decide to fight.

Yuffie had broken from her thrall, and since Red didn't have the patience to cast the difficult spell again, he simply settled with confusing her. Tifa had discovered the spell already, so it was pointless to cast it again. If they were to cast scan on her when she was still under thrall they could trace the magic design back to him. It was better they still thought he was on their side.

Thanks to his stealthy ability, Tifa had been taken down before she'd seen it was him attacking her. Red had tackled her and made sure her head hit the floor first. She lost consciousness instantly. Red proceeded to tame Yuffie and then took her throwing stars in his teeth and sliced up Tifa.

Yuffie made the perfect scapegoat. She had already shown aggression towards Mae, which he easily manipulated thanks to her negative emotions towards the woman. Not to mention her unparalleled ability to annoy Red, which made her expendable.

The fiery cat dropped Mae to the ground, and focused on Yuffie, sending her mental signals to open the hatch.

He really hadn't planned to hurt anyone. That was not his way. But this cursed human woman's appearance had forced him to take action. Actions that would not have been so drastic if she hadn't managed to ensnare both Vincent and Cid in her vicious web of deceit. Red knew what her curse mark meant now.

He closed his eyes. Unable to use computers due to his lack of fingers, Red had made Yuffie look up information on the curse mark. It wasn't long before they found it. Simple as the design was, it was infamous for its implications. The curse mark was famed not for what was seen, but what was unseen. The true mark was invisible. It expanded only when the one cursed by it allows the demon inside to take over.

Mae was harboring a demon inside of her.

Red could care less whether or not she knew of this; he cared only about getting rid of her. His hatred of demons knew no limit. He did not condemn Vincent for his demons. Vincent's demons were placed inside of him by mutilation of his own body. Mae's was placed inside of her by mutilation of the bodies of innocents.

Red growled and looked at the prone woman with disgust. She was the most revolting creature he'd ever laid eyes on. The worst part was that the curse mark could only be placed on her if she took the lives herself.

Mae groaned and tried to roll onto her back. Red snarled and tore into her shoulder, eliciting a pained cry from the raven haired woman. The hatch was slowly opening. A strong gust of air assaulted them. Mae opened her eyes. Her hair was whipping back from her face, the untamed curls slapping into Red's face.

Mae's shoulders and head hung over the opening. Dark angry clouds covered most of the view below, but the afternoon sun blazed through, blinding them. The sky above was clear, the sky below was boiling with electric fury. Mae curled her fingers over the edge and held on, her fear of heights beginning to rear its head. Her stomach sunk.

Red loosened his grip on Mae's shoulder, freeing up his mouth enough to talk. "How could you do it!" He roared over the wind.

No response.

"How could you kill them! How could you let him use their blood to make you what you are!"

Again there was no response. Red bit down on the abused flesh in his mouth, only then noticing the slight tremors running through the frail body beneath him.

"What else could I do?" The reply was so soft that Red had to strain to hear it. "It was either me or him… He would have not been so merciful." Red snarled, letting go of her shoulder in favor of her neck. Before his teeth could latch on a shot rang out and hit the large cat between his shoulder blades. Red collapsed.

Mae felt the dead weight of the proud cat crush her. With her good arm she rolled him off of her, making sure to push him away from the open hatch. She grabbed at the ground, her stomach fluttering nervously from the heights. When she looked up Vincent stood across the hold, gun in hand.

Mae stood, her hair flying in her face, and her torn shirt billowing against her battered body. She stood there, emotions flooding her, strangling her with their urgency. Vincent took a step forward, his beautiful eyes glowing gold and crimson in the golden light. Mae felt her heart break for him, and with the knowledge that her sins made her unworthy of even being near him. She had taken innocent lives. No matter how she tried to justify the taking of them, their blood was on her hands.

A feeling of weightlessness lifted her head and she shut her eyes, just feeling the wind grabbing at her body. Vincent stopped, marveling at the sight. Hey body was outlined against the sun, light to her dark. She looked like a tragic angel, a frail being tortured by the world, a shadow being swallowed by the light, so close to just giving up and shriveling away.

Even in all her darkness she was enchanting. Her aqua eyes, glittering like broken glass, shards so sharp you cannot touch them, glowing with momentary brilliance, ready to go out like a candle at the slightest bit of opposition.

Vincent wanted nothing more then to hold her, to tear up his hands by piecing together the jagged pieces of her heart, her soul, her wings. Nothing so beautiful should ever be left broken. He moved towards her, but was stopped short when Yuffie tackled him. Throwing the woman off would have been easy if Red hadn't stepped into help her. Together they held him down.

Mae, her eyes screaming out the pain of her heart, took one last look at the man she had allowed herself to care for. If she could help it, it would be the last time. Red was right. She was filthy. Her hands covered in blood. That was why Reixez would not kill her. Her hands were as stained as his, and yet she tried to clean them. It fascinated him. Her wings truly were broken, dissolved by the acid of innocent blood, spilled in mercy.

The wind pulled ever more frantically at Mae as she spread out her arms. Vincent felt his heart stop. She wouldn't…

She tilted back, hair streaming up like black fire. Vincent called out and bucked, throwing Yuffie off him. Red still pulled at him, but he was close enough and reached for her. He would be too late. Mae knew this. She felt her feet slip from the solid ground and closed her eyes.

As she fell through the air towards the clouds, the sun's rays warming her chilled skin, she smiled.

_Laughter filled a small room, open to the setting sun, wind chimes merrily clinking in the wind, dust flying around, catching the light and sparkling._

_A small girl stood on a chair, wiping the walls down. Her hair was tied back haphazardly and her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth, her face scrunched in concentration._

"_What do you want to be when you grow up?" Said a smaller girl who sat on a shiny red wood floor. She absently played with a flat worn doll with fading red hair. It had seen better days._

"_Me? I want to be a doctor so I can help people." The girl on the chair hopped down and tossed her rag. "What about you?"_

"_I want to be a bird…" said the smaller child playing with the coarse hair of the doll. "I want to fly."_

* * *

**:: Muahahahaha! Cliff hanger! Told you I'd get you again... *dodges various thrown items including a cat* O.o**

**what the...? Who throws a cat? *another cat is thrown, hits me in the face***

**Ahhh! *runs***

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	14. To Fly or Lie

**::Sorry bout the cliffy guys! I can't help but enjoy being evil... Lol**

**SweetxPandemonium**: **I'm sorry! Don't cry! *dodges cat* Here's the next chappy!**

**Krys A. Night: O.O So violent with the Red XIII plushie... Hehehe, the suicide window... As for Tifa having a hair cut, the star only cut her hair tie and possibly one of two strands of hair, so no, she's still got long hair. As for Mae, she did not put the mark on herself. That whole back story will eventually get explained, and yes I know I'm taking my sweet time with it, but there is method to my madness! Hehe, drunk people... Ah college is so fun...**

**Fantasy-elf: Terms and Conditions? Why didn't I get that memo... Umm... actually... i think I already broke the rules a bit O.o ... No physical violence towards Mae? Oops... Oh well, guess I won't be seeing good old saint nick this year...**

**Luna of the Black Moon: *dodges Vincent's gun, Cerberus* Hey! watch where you're throwing that thing! Remember if you kill me, who will be left to finish the story? Hehehe, I have leverage!**

**Tons of love for my reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: i don't own Final Fantasy (damn), I don't own Vincent (double damn), but I do own Mae, Reixez and all other original characters and story plot ideas and so on and so forth. Steal them and I'll have Chaos eat you...:**

**Chapter 14**

"Mae!" Vincent hurled himself towards the open hatch, his hand grabbing at empty air. Red was still trying in vain to pull him back. Mae fell swiftly, disappearing in the dark Clouds below, swallowed by the darkness there.

_How ironic, _Red thought as he struggled to pull Vincent from the edge. Cloud and Cid burst through the door in time to see him viciously kick Red in the muzzle.

"Vincent!" Cloud grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back, struggling to pull him away from the dangerous opening. Cid hefted Yuffie onto his shoulder and threw a hasty cure spell to Red.

Vincent tried desperately to fling himself over the edge and into the clouds. Mae would never survive if he didn't. No human could survive such a fall.

"No! Mae! Mae!" In his struggles he elbowed Cloud in the nose, which promptly started bleeding. Cloud pinned Vincent's arms to his body.

"Cid! A little help here!" His voice was muffled by the blood pouring down his face.

Cid set Yuffie down a ways away from the hatch and tried to help Cloud subdue the hysterical demi-demon. Together they managed to drag him all the way to the other side of the hold. But Vincent wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Chaos!" As he roared the demon's name, hated though he was, Vincent welcomed the change with open arms. Chaos may have tormented him, but the demon had protected Mae. What ever his motives were, they worked in Vincent's favor.

The change happened fast. A flash of light and the demon had thrown Cloud and Cid from him. Without hesitation he flew for the open hatch. He didn't make it.

"I'm sorry Vincent," Red said as he pushed the button to close the hatch. Thanks to the aid of the wind, it closed just before Chaos' body connected with open air. Instead it connected with cold hard metal.

In its rage the demon slammed, tore at, scratched at, gouged and dented the metal barrier that stood between him and the human female that both he and his human counterpart cared for. Chaos' reasons for such care were different from Vincent's, but at the moment, neither cared for the difference. The goal was the same. But, at the moment, that very same goal was becoming more and more unattainable.

Cloud ran to where Yuffie was laying on the floor and slung her over his shoulder. Cid did the same with Red XIII. Chaos noticed this, and as soon as his eyes moved to the fire cat he let out a fearsome cry.

Cid cursed and ran for the door to the hold. He fell, tripping over a coil of rope, but it ended up being his saving grace because Chaos' bulky body flew over him and into the wall. The demon's claws caught at his jacket, but Cid dove through the door, which Cloud promptly closed and barricaded with the nearest crates, most of which were supposed to be moved into the store room.

"Thank the gods for laziness," Cid muttered under his breath as he set Red to the ground. Cloud muttered an assent under his breath and slumped to the floor. Both of the warriors ignored the turbulent sounds of splintering wood and a large demon flying into various walls. They rested before taking Yuffie and Red up to the infirmary.

Leaving Cloud to take care of both Yuffie and Red, who were both put under sleeping spells, Cid went back up to the bridge and checked on the system. They had been on auto pilot to Nibelheim. Distantly he noticed the 'hatch open' warning flashing in bright red on the control panel. Well Chaos certainly picked things up fast enough.

Cid sighed and paged Cloud in the infirmary. "Cloud, take off all anti-status equipment on Yuffie and Red, recast sleep and then get Tifa to the infirmary as well. After that, see if you can locate Mae."

The com cut off with a hiss of static. It beeped and Cloud's voice buzzed through. "Affirmative. I'm not taking Tifa to the infirmary. I don't want her anywhere near Yuffie. I'm taking her to our room. I'll care for her there."

Cid cursed and waited for Cloud to cut his connection. He slammed his fist down on the button. "Gods be damned I need you to watch Yuffie and Red! Something isn't right with them and I need you to watch them!" He sighed into the speaker, not relinquishing his hold on the button. He didn't want to hear Cloud's reply. "If you want to care for her, take her to the infirmary. If you don't want her around them I can get one of the crew to watch over her." This was said softer.

Cid understood his desire to be with Tifa, but unless Cid stayed at the controls to manually guide them the rest of the way to Nibelheim and Cloud kept Yuffie from hurting anyone else, Tifa was going to be in danger along with the rest of them. Nibelheim air space was notorious for messing with electronic equipment.

Static filled the air as Cid waited for Cloud's reply. It was long in coming, and grudging in its manner. "Fine. Send someone who can use materia. I'll stay here."

The connection was cut leaving Cid in silence. He pulled out a crumpled cigarette pack and lit it. As he smoked, he let his mind wander.

* * *

Cloud took Yuffie's bangle and her shuriken. He removed the pouch with all of the throwing stars as well as the knife hidden in her boot. He removed Red's headdress and the bracelet on his forearm. He confiscated all of their materia, and cast sleep on them again.

He was a bit unsure as to why Red needed to be unarmed, but the cat had been acting strange lately. He had almost thought that Red had attacked Tifa, but on closer inspection, there had been no blood on Red, but there was blood on Yuffie's prized throwing stars.

He still couldn't believe it. Yuffie had tried to kill Mae and then brutally cut up Tifa. Those were unnecessary injuries, given out of maliciousness. His eyes traveled to the sleeping ninja. She looked deceivingly serene and innocent in sleep. Now he knew better.

A frown crossed his face as he thought about Yuffie's involvement in Vincent's rampage in the hold. She had been knocked out when he and Cid arrived. Vincent was trying to dive out of the hatch and Red was holding him back. On a hunch, Cloud walked over and looked at Red. He was shocked to notice that he was bleeding from a bullet wound on his back.

Cloud hastily cast a few cure spells in quick succession. The bleeding slowed and the bullet came to the surface of his skin as his body rejected it. It was as he suspected. A bullet from Vincent's gun Cerberus. He would know those markings anywhere. Each one of Vincent's bullets had a distinct symbol on them. Cloud knew better then to inquire as to what it meant or why it was there. If Vincent wanted you to know something, he would tell you.

Still, why would he shoot Red XIII? Cloud's frown deepened. Maybe Red wasn't as innocent as he seemed, but, then again, Vincent had been unstable after Yuffie's attempt on Mae's life. Speaking of whom, she had gone missing. In the chaos Cloud had completely forgotten about her. Vincent had been screaming her name, trying to leap from the airship. Cloud could only hope she hadn't fallen. Or been pushed. Either way, her fate wouldn't be good.

Cloud gave one last glance to the two occupants of the infirmary before leaving to search the Shera for Mae. He would have to return in about a half hour and recast the spell. To remind him he set an alarm on his phone. First however he wanted to check on Tifa…

* * *

Storm clouds rolled by over a lake surrounded on all side by mountains. Tall and imposing they slopped out away from a large body of water. Wild grass grew on the shores of the water and curious white flowers bloomed in the cool atmosphere of the range.

The clouds parted, giving birth to a black mass that floated slowly down to the center of the lake. It was as if gravity held no sway over the figure. The spell gave way however and the mass fell to the blue waters, streaking through the remaining airspace with breakneck speed. The mirror shattered.

A lithe body, motionless, drifted through the cool waters of the lake, flanked on both sides by water falls; one adding water, the other releasing it from the lake. The lake was deep, it's bottom out of sight even on the brightest of days. The midnight blue waters faded to deep abyssal black that threatened to swallow any who swam close enough to the darkness.

Though it still thundered and rained, the sun managed to break through the clouds and shine lonesome rays of light. They spotted across the lake, illuminating small sections of the mysterious blue waters. One such ray fell on the submerged body of a woman. Wraith like in its dead beauty it seemed to be flying ever so slowly through the water.

Silky black curls danced in the small currents, and clothes clung ever so lovingly to the still body. The surface of the water still rippled and tossed where it had landed only moments ago. The small waves subsided, leaving no visible trace that the surface had been disturbed.

Crystalline bubbles slipped from lax lips and aqua eyes fluttered lightly before the once still body jerked into action, stiff muscles contracting in spasms, an oxygen starved brain screaming for them to move. Pain erupted, where once only numb cold had been and her arms groped strongly for the surface. Her ears popped as she raced forth.

The sparkling surface broke, water falling from the pale visage as diamonds trickled down and melted together in the light. Mae's lungs grabbed greedily at the air and she coughed and chocked getting as much into her abused body as she could.

Freed from whatever stupor that had eased her fall and pain, Mae was now shivering and short of breath. Her shoulder stung, and even as Mae's cursed the temperature of the water she hoped it would be kind enough to numb her aches and pains instead of worsening them.

Forcing herself to move, she paddled towards shore. It was hard going as her body was stiff and she could not stop shaking. She found herself slipping under the waters on more then one occasion. Fear would give her a little burst of strength and she would gasp and crane her neck to stay above water. The shore hadn't seemed so far away when she started out.

Half way there Mae felt the fatigue pulling her under the water again. This time she let herself slip under, relaxing her body. If she could get a few moments of rest she would be able to make it the rest of the way. Or so she hoped.

She felt the cold waters close over her and opened her eyes. It began to rain again, and Mae watched, fascinated by the ripples on the surface and how they played with the light. She ignored the burning in her lungs, staying submerged, trying to imprint the strange beauty in her mind. The refracted light played across her skin, looking like ghostly silver veins. She waited until her vision blackened before she slowly, reverently came to the surface.

Mae managed to swim to shore after that, though she shrank away from the air, finding it was colder then the water. The wind and rain tugged and pulled her, throwing off her balance. Her teeth were chattering and she had a nasty headache. She found it didn't compare to the pain in her heart, or the dull gnawing in the back of her mind. Both had returned when the cold air blasted her back to her senses. Her demon was becoming restless. She had resisted the pull of its blood lust for years, but it was getting harder and harder.

Gods she was so tired. Her body pulsed with the beat of her heart and the pounding of her headache. Her heart burned in her chest and her eyes stung from unshed tears. Stupid! She was so stupid! To let herself become attached to him. Not only had she broken her rule of not associating with people, she had broken the biggest rule of all. Don't feel for anyone. Never feel for another, not with Reixez still around to take them away.

Reixez knew of Vincent, knew of their acquaintance, but he didn't know how much she cared for him. If he did, Vincent would already be dead, or well on the way to it, but he was still in danger. The farther Mae was from him the better.

She rested on the ground, curled up to keep as much of her body shielded from the cruel wind as she could. It cut right through her body, making her bones ache and her head pound. Her lungs could not seem to take in a full breath of air, and her lips were becoming numb.

A long sweet note flew along the wind. Mae turned her head curiously towards its call. The large water fall emptying its share of water into the lake slid into her view. A flicker of light played behind the cascading waters. Mae blinked, her body dangling on the edge of hypothermia.

The sound formed into words, gently chiding her for her foolishness and offering her warmth and shelter. Mae's brain was slow to react to this, but her body heard warmth and jumped into motion.

Though her legs were to shaky to hold her, Mae found that she could push them along the ground to move herself towards the inviting voice that drove her on. It spoke of a cave behind the water fall, a safe place, shielded from the wind. Mae tried to ask the voice who it was, but her lips fumbled and shook and could not seem to form the words. They felt estranged from her body, and Mae soon gave up trying to use them.

Though her legs moved her forward, they did not do so without complaining. Pins and needles assaulted her skin, the once warm leather cold and wet and weighing her down. Her knee scraped itself on a rock and shooting pains made her fumble. Mae made a small distressed noise, her throat to raw to do anything else. The voice shushed her and beckoned her towards it again.

The first mists of the waterfall reached her. They floated gently, condensing and shaping into a large hand, motioning her forward. She was ignorant of how strange that should be, her mind only on warmth and the possibility of food. Hopefully her guest was hungry too and had gotten some. Her stomach growled and tried to content itself by gnawing on the insides of her stomach. Maybe they would share.

The slender hand reached out, its cold touch alighting on her face, gently guiding her to her feet and to a small opening behind the bruising rush of water. Mae was unable to get by without the fall of water hitting her. She felt the forceful water throw her down, slamming her against the slick rock beneath her. The floating hand saw her predicament and waved the water aside.

Still out of it, Mae took a moment to look around, unsure of why she was laying down all of the sudden. The hand beckoned her forth and into the cavern. The rock, though dark and grey from the water, paled as it progressed into the room. The closer it got to the giant crystal in the back of the cavern, the lighter and more translucent it became. The strange crystal threw off a myriad of chromatic colors that delicately flashed, brought forth by an unseen source of inner light.

Mae felt the weariness grab hold of her body and press down on it hard, its weight constricting her lungs and body until she found herself on her knees. She was in the center of the cavern. Though her legs screamed to move forward, her body had not the strength to reply. Her unconscious mind shrank from the crystal in fear, but her conscious mind stayed strangely numb about the whole situation.

The slender hand, composed of mist went over to the crystal. The moment it touched it, light jumped forth and bended, molding into the semi solid shape of a woman. Mae closed her eyes to the blinding light, her arms weighed down and unable to move. Even with her lids closed she felt the light burning her sensitive eyes. Cringing away, Mae tilted her head forward, creating a curtain with her hair.

The bright light grew, then dimmed, allowing Mae to peek through the blanket of hair covering her face. A woman shaped of golden light stood over her. She wore a long coat, glasses and had her pair tied back in a messy ponytail. Her hair and skin had no definable color, but her blue eyes stood out, glowing an icy cerulean.

Mae opened her mouth, but the woman shook her head. Mae shut it again, massaging her sore throat, glad she did not have to speak. The woman looked down on her coolly, adjusting her glasses.

"You look tired…" said the melodic voice. Though it was warm and comforting, the cold look on the woman's face had not changed. The voice seemed detached, fake, the woman stiff and uninviting, the cave, alien and dangerous, but Mae was to far gone to notice any of these things. The voice was sweet and alluring, and she was weary and low spirited. Not to mention cold, weak and hungry.

"Come… I will give you rest."

The woman stretched out her arms, her form floating backwards to stand directly in front of the large crystal formation. Mae found that she was able to move once again. Though she saw no bed or blankets, she figured the woman had to sleep somewhere.

What she didn't know, was that these weren't her thoughts, that her conscious mind was being fed false information. There was no normal cognitive thought process, only the strict placement of thoughts that prompted her to do what the parasite wanted. Its host's thoughts were immediately discarded.

A slick, slimy tentacle slithered across the floor towards Mae. She had stopped a ways away from the crystal, her body unable to deal with the strain of developing hypothermia, blood loss and fatigue. It moved right through the gold human projection and slithered up Mae's arm. It reached her neck and abruptly stopped.

The human projection's visage tightened with suspicion. "Who are you?"

Mae opened her mouth to respond, her throat working in vain to try and produce noise. She coughed, her throat burning. "Mae," she managed to croak out.

"Why do you smell of Vincent Valentine?" The woman's voice was cold, harsh. Finally it matched her face.

Mae winced at Vincent's name, her chest welling with pain, her eyes watering slightly. She gritted her teeth, trying to stop the stupid emotions hindering her. "He's a friend," she said simply, glad her raspy voice hid any possible traces of emotion. The woman was not fooled however.

"You love him…" she stated dryly. Mae bared her teeth, but was unable to say anything. She kept eyes contact with the woman however, still oblivious to the tentacle wrapped coyly around her neck. Though she was regaining some control over her thoughts and body, it was control allowed by the woman before her.

"Where is he now?"

"Safe." The response was immediate, meant to prevent further questioning on the subject. The gold visage's face tightened with irritation.

"That is not a satisfactory answer."

Mae realized that angering the woman was not a favorable move, and would probably result in loss of the promised rest and safety. That didn't stop her from getting angry at the cold response. Didn't she get it? Mae didn't want to talk about Vincent. She was trying to leave him behind. Gods, she just escaped his presence and she was already encountering him again.

She growled at the woman, her throat tightening too much for her to talk. The woman's eyes narrowed before she relaxed and shrugged.

"Fine. Have it your way. It matters not to me."

Mae was surprised by this abrupt dismissal, but not entirely ungrateful.

The tentacle tightened around her throat.

**:: Hehehe, cliffy . *Sees avalanche of sheep.* ... wtf... Ok, who owns the farm!**

**Reno: O.O'**

**Vincent: *runs***

**Me: *standing in shadow of wave of sheep* Aw poo...**


	15. The Woman Under the Fall

**:: Welcome back my loyal readers! Yes I know I took absolutely forever to get this chapter up. Life has been keeping me busy, throwing curve balls and drama at me constantly, but I managed to crank out another chapter. Update on college... Math puts me to sleep, Music is awesome, but I hate waiting for them to program my ID so I can get into the piano room, Good and Evil has the potential to be interesting, but is more like a pain in the wazoo, and Psych is funny as hell cause my teacher is coo-coo for the coco-puffs O.o Hehe. Anywhoddlies, on to the reviews from last chapter...**

SweetxPandemonium - **Thanks for the compliments! Sorry I didn't update as soon as I should have, but hey, we all make mistakes right?**

Nyx Cross - **O.o Not the suicide window! NOOOOOOOO! *jumps out after sheep***

fantasy-elf - **Davy Jones' wife omg, ROFLMFAO! I love that! Haha, actually no it's not his wife as a matter of fact Nyx Cross came the closest to it when she mentioned the woman who's name starts with an "L"...**

Luna of the Black Moon - **Close, but no cookies! Lol, and it only gets better...**

**Chapter 15**

Mae felt her throat tighten further and pulled back out of reaction. She couldn't move. This faintly registered in her brain. She tried to take in more air and found that she was unable to. A choking sound escaped her throat, and she grabbed the object obstructing her breathing. Though she could not see it and didn't know what it was, she could feel it in her hands.

Red watery eyes stared up at the golden woman who was unaffected by the scene before her. Mae felt something pull away from her mind and she flung it away forcefully. Clarity sliced through the enchantment and Mae saw the truth beyond the illusion.

More tentacles slithered out from behind the crystal and the woman was no longer covered in light. She was no longer beautiful either. Her form melted into a vomitous purple mass of squirming limbs and bulbous growths that shifted and twitched. She retained her eyes, but lost all of her hair. Her torso grew up out of the pile of disgusting limbs, thin and muscular, leading up to freakishly elongated arms and fingers tipped with razor sharp six inch nails. Mae reached to her side, fear shooting through her as she found her precious sword missing.

"Shi-" The muscles in the tentacle around her throat tightened and crushed her airway. A strangled sound and the flailing of limbs against rock were the only sounds in the cavern. Even the falling water seemed far away. A cold blanket settled over Mae and the pounding in her ear got louder… and slower. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she wondered if her luck could truly throw any more shit at her.

"That's enough," said a cold voice. The mutated woman looked up from her victim, her fangs elongated, her form closing in. It would be so easy to drain the little bitch dry… But who was this? Interrupting her meal?

Pale blue eyes, dancing with dangerous intent seared into the red rimed ones of the parasite holding Mae.

"That is my prey you are suffocating…" A sadistically sincere smile crawled onto the face of the dark haired man. The parasite hesitated. There was something strange about the man. He shared a similar aura to Vincent. Best not to be to hasty.

"Who are you?" she stated with curious contempt.

Pleased to see the parasite wasn't as stupid as she looked, Reixez decided to let her live a while longer. "My name is Reixez. May I have the pleasure of your name?"

"I have no name now, but the name I carried long ago was Lucrecia." She practically spat the name out.

Reixez nodded sagaciously. "You were infected with Jenova cells?"

Lucrecia nodded, still clutching her victim in her tentacles. Almost unconsciously the warm body was pulled closer to her pulsating one when Reixez took a step forward.

"I see…" Reixez noticed the motion and instead of increasing his distance settled for circling Lucrecia, keeping the distance between them. "I cannot offer you a fair exchange for my little Mae right now, but if you allow me to take her I can offer you many warm bodies to feast upon in the near future..." Reixez's face held the smirk as he walked the semi-circle around Lucrecia. His demonic instincts told him to rip the suspicious look from her disgusting visage and feast upon her infected body.

Unaware of the level of violence his mind was picturing, Lucrecia allowed herself to dream of hand delivered meals. No longer would she have to wait for various animals and hapless humans to stumble upon her abode. Her eyes looked off into the distance as she daydreamed of fresh blood. Reixez cleared his throat when Mae gave a startled gasp, complaining even as the tentacle tightened further. Lucrecia reluctantly softened her grip on the woman's throat.

"If you can replace this woman with more then one warm, living body then I will take your offer." To make good on her agreement, Lucrecia released her hold on Mae and used one of her many tentacles to shove the shivering, choking woman towards Reixez who's smile, if possible, got even wider.

"Thank you kind lady. Rest assured that you will receive compensation for your sacrifice." He gave Lucrecia an elegant bow, his eyes dancing with merriment and his white fangs glittering in the light thrown from the crystal.

Mae felt despair and fear fighting for dominance in her gut. Reixez had found her. And Lucrecia knew she had feelings for Vincent. She could only pray that the woman, parasite, whatever she was, did not divulge the precious information to the demonic bastard standing above her.

Suddenly warm breath was on her back and Mae instinctively curled up into a little ball. She said sorry to every god there was for whatever she did to deserve this, and prayed that he would just kill her and end it quick. Maybe he would be thorough enough that Vincent would never find her remains. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him right?

"Mae darling…" The words breathed so softly, rolled so sweetly from that poisonous forked tongue sent chills of dreadful disgust up her spine. She clenched her teeth and clung to her arms. She had been so stupid to forget the backpack and her sword on the Shera. Both her weapon and supplies. Her beloved sword, her only defense, and she'd left it behind.

Death would be nice, but it wouldn't come, not easily. At least, that's what she wanted to think, but Mae found herself wishing that she would make it out of this alive like every other time. Alive she stood a chance of gaining permanent freedom. Freedom would herald so many things. A stationary life free from fleeing and fear, the possible return of her friends and Vincent.

_Vincent…_

Arms slowly wound around her, lifting her stiff body gently from the floor. Reixez cradled her body close to his, like one would an old lover and Mae found herself whimpering at the touch. She found it revolting, disdainful, terrifying. The gentle kindness and soft voice now meant that she would regret what was to come so much more. She would not walk away from this so easily. That's what his movements were saying. He would make her crave the gentle touches, make her 0 on them, because what would come between them would be unbearable.

A crazed and indulgent smile floated across Reixez's face as he stroked Mae's damp hair away from her face. Her eyes were clenched shut, her lips trembling even though she bit them in an attempt to still their quivering.

"My little butterfly…"

* * *

Vincent burst through the waterfall and into Lucrecia's cave. He smelled Mae. Her faint floral scent hung heavy in the air, accompanied by the tangy scent of blood and fear. Lucrecia wasted no time in showing herself, slithering out from behind the crystal to show off her newly returned human visage.

Vincent was not fooled.

"Where is she?" he demanded. Lucrecia ignored the hard tone in his voice in favor of sauntering towards him, hips swaying suggestively.

"Where is who?" she said huskily. Her face tilted up to his and he smelled blood on her, thick and strong. His pupils widened in response and he growled low in his throat. Lucrecia responded by purring lightly against his collar bone.

"Mae," he said roughly. "Where is she?" In his anger, fangs began to reappear. Chaos had not left him, only allowed him to resume human form for a short while. Lucrecia gave a moue of regret at the serious tone in Vincent's voice, and stepped back. She walked slowly over to her crystal sat down and started playing with her hair. She looked all the part of a spoiled child being told to give up chocolate.

"Mae this, Mae that…" she complained with a frown. "What's so special about that human woman anyway?" Vincent felt a surge of horror strike him. Lucrecia didn't notice, increasing her pout and batting her eye lashes at Vincent.

"Was she here? Did she leave on her own?"

Lucrecia combed her fingers through her long silky hair and stared at her feet. It had been a while since she'd consumed enough blood to shape them into normal human feet.

"She was here. I was planning on feeding off her, but a man interrupted me." Her voice had grown serious as she remembered, her brow wrinkled in a frown. She lifted her head, her hands pausing in their actions, eyes connecting with his. "He reminded me of you." She let the statement hang in the air, knowing Vincent would not prompt her to continue, only wait. "But only in the sense that he was demonic. You in mind, and him in action."

"Reixez…" He knew. He just knew. Who else could it be?

"Yes. That was his name." Lucrecia watched the distressed emotions race across Vincent's face and sighed. She was barely human anymore, but some things never change. "You can find them if you move fast. They headed northwest, towards Nibelheim."

Vincent's head shot up. "Nibelheim? Why would he go there?" Lucrecia shrugged nonchalantly, but her next words betrayed her worry for the haunted man. "Be careful. There is more to that man then meets the eye."

Vincent glanced at Lucrecia, trying to read her eyes and garner the meaning behind her statement, but she was looking at the floor again. He sighed and resigned himself to the fact that she would reveal no more. She had always been stubborn that way.

He'd started to walk away before he realized that he'd not felt the characteristic longing he had for her whenever he saw her, thought of her, or was in her presence. Pausing in his retreat, he felt a twinge of pain in his chest. He always knew one day he would find a way to let go of her, but he never thought he would be so cold about it. Though he knew Lucrecia had never truly felt for him, she had come to rely on his affections.

Vincent glanced back, his ruby eyes brighter then they'd ever been. They glittered in the light, their dark depths seeming warmer then before. Even though they were tinged with worry and marred by hate and angst, Lucrecia had to admit they were gorgeous.

With a mental sigh and a small indulgent smile she batted Vincent's pitiful look away.

"Go after her. You deserve her." Vincent nodded. He gave no smile of hint that the statement meant anything to him, but Lucrecia knew him better. The tension in his neck and muscles slipped away and the hard look in his eyes had softened for just a moment, then he was gone.

Lucrecia sighed again in the quiet refines of her crystal laced cavern. She tilted her head back and laid on the cool hard surface of her crystal to stare at the reflections on the ceiling. Using her demonic powers she projected the images of Reixez and Mae on the ceiling, replaying the scene over again.

She studied Reixez, but she found her gaze drifting back to Mae; taking in everything about her. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous. Even though she felt the ugly emotion, what was left of her human side pushed it away. If Vincent could finally find happiness, then losing him was worth it.

The muffled sounds of her memories echoed though the cavern, overlapping and repeating. Lucrecia waited.

* * *

Mae wasn't quite sure what was going on. All she knew was that she was sitting in a town that was both deserted and dead, on a long bench that creaked under her small weight. Reixez had left her there with explicit instructions not to move.

Mae thought this in a way both utterly ridiculous and confusing. Why would he leave her here by herself? Why would he give her the chance to escape? Why wasn't she taking it?

In a way, Mae was unable to leave. What ever force had taken over her body had chosen for her to sit and stay like she was told, and there was nothing she could do about it, even though her legs ached to run.

Even though she was pretty sure her disposition on the outside was taciturn and unreadable, there was a fiery surge of fear tearing apart her insides. She jumped at every noise, movement from local wildlife and even the shadows of trees, though they were few.

The wind rustled the leaves and swept loving caresses around Mae, in an attempt to calm her, but through the haze of fear, she couldn't even feel it. Her mind was in full panic mode, but her body was still. Stiff and achy and crying for movement, but utterly still. Her eyes stared straight ahead, unwilling to look and possibly see Reixez standing there, watching her, or coming towards her or even looking at her. She would lose it.

The sound of footsteps and the snap of a twig under pressure made her jump, her heart fluttering in her throat. Reixez was back. In one hand he had plump juicy apple, in the other he had a regular looking coffee thermos. He stopped in front of Mae, taking a careful bite of the apple and watching her with a bored air.

"I must admit Mae, I'm disappointed. I expected more then this of you…" He ruefully spat out the apple in his mouth and slapped her across the face, sending her careening towards the hard dry ground. Mae felt the impact jar her tired bones. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes on the imposing gloomy mansion in the distance.

If she could just get in there she could hide! Yes, that's it, her brain encouraged. Hide, hide away, run, run! And so she ran, coiled her tense muscles and released the nervous energy there, her breath coming fast and uneven, her feet kicking up dust that flew into her eyes, blinding them. Her chest stung.

Reixez watched her pathetic flight with a gruff laugh. Her took a sip from his thermos and walked calmly after her, his footsteps eating up the distance she so desperately tried to cover.

The sound of scuffling feet and heavy breathing accompanied Mae through the ghost town. She dared not look back to see what else accompanied her. She reached the large black gate that blocked her entrance to the mansion. Its cold steel greeted her, unmoving through her assault on its bars. The gothic gate stared down on her plight without care. Mae beat at the bars until her hands were sore and bloody.

Panic shot through her when an electric current ran up her back. She didn't wait to feel the light touch on her shoulder. Ducking under the touch she resumed her flight to safety. A long twisted road lead around the mansion to a dense series of craggy mountain ranges. A jagged rock jutting up from the ground claimed her when she took a moment to glance back at her pursuer. It didn't slow her. She felt its brother rock slice through her leather pants, but she refused to become one of those ditzy girls in the horror movies that got done in by foolish mishap.

Warm blood trickled down her dusty leather pants and the wound stung every time her muscle flexed to propel her forward. She was sweating; breathing heavily and her hair clung to her face and got in her eyes. She cursed it, furiously swiping it out of her vision. The fear still raged through her, but she slowed briefly to assess the newest obstacle facing her.

An old, ratty, rickety bridge spanned a very large gap. One side of it hung, the support rope blowing desolately in the wind. The other side, though still attached to its sister side, held only rotted planks that were few and far between.

Mae stepped close to the edge of the canyon and felt her stomach drop. She could see the bottom, but it was very far away. She might be able to survive the fall, but she wouldn't be able to walk away without broken bones. Reixez was already getting close, and if he caught her she would have more to worry about then broken bones.

"Gods help me…" She knew what she had to do. That would not make it any easier. She closed her eyes briefly in a silent prayer and stepped towards the peg holding the rope that would decide if she was worthy of life and freedom.

**:: CLIFFY! Muahahahahaha! *sees something flying at my head, ducks* O.o What is with you people and throwing things! *looks over to see an Oscar fish flopping around on the ground* ... What the hell man... *puts poor oscar in a tank of water* There, poor fella... **CONK!** *frying pan hits head and I fall over* Owie!**

**Vincent: *playing chess with Reno who is getting his but kicked* Checkmate...**

**Reno: &$&!**

**Me:...**

**Vincent: This is why I drink...**

**Cid: Hell, its why I smoke!**

**Reno: You smoke because you're a grumpy old grandpa!**

**Cid: I'M NOT A GRANDPA *pulls out Venus Gospel***

**Reno: O.O' *runs***

**Me: *out cold***

**Vincent: *sigh***


	16. Of Chasms and Caffine

**::Hey guys! Got this chapter out a bit sooner then the last. Boy have things been crazy at college, you're so lucky you're getting this now. I can't promise I'll have the next one out soon, but I'll try! I did leave you with a bit of a cliff hanger in the last one, so I tried to make up for it in this one. It's still a cliffy, but only kinda sorta. XD**

SweetxPandemonium : **Kitty! XD *cuddles kitten* Hehe. Glad to hear I won't have need for dodging random objects... for now O.o**

Krys A. Night (Nyx Cross)** : ... Yeah, have you ever seen those guys who've had the electro-shock treatment thingy? Yeah, well, I would recommend you for that... Lol, jk :D Glad to see my cliff hangers are getting to you, I want you to come back for more reading! Glad to see you are such a Reixez fan *looks at destroyed plushie* ... Ahem, anyway, this chapter doesn't have a cliff hanger... sorta... Depends on how you look at it ;)**

Luna of the Black Moon **: Yeah go Vinny! Looks like we're all rooting for you!**

**Vincent: *raises eye brow* Umm... you are writing the story. If you want me to win, (translation if you don't want to die...) you have the power to make me save Mae (and keep yourself alive in the process).**

**Me: I uh... should keep that in mind... O.o**

Nyappy PYON **: Well I'm glad you like it so much! Recommend it to all Vincent fans! Publicity is always good ne?**

fantasy-elf **: Good lord I've corrupted another O.o Noooo! Not the frying pan! *runs***

**Vincent: I am not an alcoholic...**

**Reno: Yer sush a liar, *hick*. You've had more ta drink then I 'av.**

**Vincent: Just because I can hold my liquor doesn't mean I'm alcoholic.**

**Reno: *passes out***

**Vincent: ... I'm going home.**

**Disclaimer: I own no Final Fantasy, but I do own all original characters (yes that includes Mae, Reixez and Tim the junk man) as well as all story plots and twists. Steal them and I will eat your soul! Muahahahaha! ... Ahem... read now. I'm done.**

**Chapter 16**

Mae grabbed the rope, flinching as the rough texture irritated the sorry state of her hands. There were black and blue marks starting to appear where she'd beaten against the steel bars. Once again Mae found herself missing the weight of her precious katana.

Tentatively, a foot reached out to test the strength of the sole rope holding up. It took her weight as she slowly applied pressure. Satisfied she would not immediately plummet to her death, Mae wrapped her hands around the rope and moved out over the chasm. Once she was far enough out, so that only her tip toes were still touching the rock face, she quickly clenched her stomach muscles and moved to wrap her legs around the rope.

"Oh Maeeeeeeee…" Reixez's voice echoed off of the rocky terrain and sent resounding chills up her spine. She doubled her efforts, moving as fast as she could, trying not to think about how far down the ground was.

The strain of holding her self up and the constant rubbing of the course rope against her abused hands were very distracting. It made moving faster much harder. Her arms burned and her back was giving her trouble. She clenched her teeth and pulled herself over the midway point of the chasm.

_Halfway there…_ she thought desperately. No wave of relief washed over her at the thought, only more fear. Reixez was to close to feel safe. Speaking of the devil…

"Oh Mae! There you are…" He walked to the chasm edge still sipping from his thermos. "And here I thought you didn't like heights… heh." He kicked the wooden post making the rope sway. Mae tightened her grip, stopping momentarily; terrified that he would cut the rope. And he would. He would get sadistic pleasure from watching her scream and squirm.

Mae began to move again, making sure that each time she put one hand forward its grip was solid before she removed the other from its place. In this manner she moved ever closer to possible redemption. Reixez drank the last of the contents of his thermos and tossed it unceremoniously over the edge.

"Better hurry Mae," he said plucking at the worn rope. His voice lowered into contemptuous glee. "I'm getting bored…" Mae could hear the unspoken threat in his voice. Fear shot through her and she pulled herself faster over the gap. In her haste she neglected to make sure her grip was strong. She slipped more then once, but managed to catch herself.

Reixez contented himself with examining the shiny steel knife he just happened to have on him. Smiling to himself he set its gleaming edge against the already deteriorate strands of rope and muttered loudly to himself.

"Hmmm… this blade seemed brand new when I picked it up, but now that I look at it, the blade seems dull." He said this with an air of playful thoughtfulness. Mae knew what was coming. The cliff was right in front of her. Just a few more feet… "Maybe I'll test it out on this old rope… What do you say Mae?"

He watched her scramble, listened to the chasm walls carry her little whimpers to his ears. He smiled and mused on the state of the rope, sliding the blade back and forth.

Mae felt her heart jump as she came within reach of the rock face. She scrunched up, her muscles shivering from the exhaustion and adrenaline overload. Her eyes lit up, she was there. She was safe.

Reixez allowed the smile he'd been holding back dominated his face. In one smooth motion he slid the knife through the remaining strands.

Mae's fingers touched the smooth dusty dirt on solid ground and she almost smiled. Almost. The rope that had been digging into her suddenly went slack and her fingers slid easily off of that safe stationary piece of land. Her scream caught in her throat and she clamped down on the rope. Her poor hands burned under the abuse, but to her relief she managed.

Mae tried to regulate her breathing and slow her heart. It was pounding in her ears. She had her eyes scrunched shut, trying to collect her resolve to get her ass moving to the top. Reixez wouldn't wait for her.

"Mae dear, I don't have all day."

_God no…._ Wanting to cry she looked up to see Reixez standing above her looking down, leaning comfortably on the post holding her life line. Tremors shook her body and she felt her grip slip. She couldn't do it. He wasn't going to let her. Mae felt tears well up in her eyes and she closed them, tilting her head down.

Reixez's exasperated sigh reached her ears. The rope jerked and started to move. Mae kept her eyes tightly shut even as solid ground slid under her. She didn't let go of the rope, but instead curled up around it. Reixez's rough hands jerked her up and instinctively she opened her eyes. He had her by her arm, squeezing her stiff muscles.

His eyes were as cold as ever, but his smile was gone. He was looking increasingly more irritated. Mae cringed, trying to pull away. That only made him more irritated. He jerked her to her feet and shoved the knife against her throat, watching the blood well up where the blade had slipped. Mae watched in horror as his pupils dilated.

"Let me go…" she said fearfully. His only response was to move his eyes to hers. "Let me go Reixez," she said a little stronger. His pupils contracted and his eyes narrowed. His voice came out thick and toxic.

"You think to give me orders?" His fist shot out faster then Mae's eyes could track. In an instant she was on the ground nursing a bloody lip. Her face felt numb and her brain was clouded with shock. "Stupid whore!" His weight was above her in an instant and Mae's arms were captured and brought to her chest, her head jerked back by her hair. "No one gives me orders," he hissed.

Mouth open in a silent scream, Mae could only endure. Her body had ceased to respond to her commands long ago. Reixez tilted his head back, a growl tearing through him as his fangs grew to two inch long razors. He reared back and tore into Mae's neck. She could not hold back her scream this time. She sobbed and pleaded, scratching at his hand and arm, desperate to free herself. Reixez didn't seem to notice, in fact, he reveled at the violence.

His low moan made her stomach sour and increased her attempts to get away, pulling frantically at him, not caring about the damage to her neck. At this point she'd rather bleed out. Reixez took his sweet time letting her go, licking his lips as his teeth sheathed themselves.

In the struggle Mae had freed one hand, the other was still held against her chest, courtesy of Reixez. He smiled and licked the blood still flowing from the gaping teeth marks in her neck. Mae shivered and tried to push him away, sobbing hysterically.

"Pathetic," Reixez said finally releasing her. Mae crawled away and huddled in a small alcove, hands on her neck trying to stem the bleeding. Reixez followed, his face and front covered in her blood. "My beautiful butterfly… Let's give you back your wings…" She screamed.

* * *

Vincent raced along the plains towards Nibelheim. He'd reverted to human form shortly after clearing the mountain range, his recent transformations to Chaos to much for his body to handle. He would be lucky if he'd be able to transform by the end of next month.

He laughed ruefully to himself. Who'd think he would ever want to transform back into his demonic form. Irony of ironies. And now he needed the transformation. Needed it, wanted it. To save her. Save Mae. Nibelheim grew closer, his long strides covering the distance fairly easy. The Shera was already there.

The long grass of the plains died away as the dead earth of Nibelheim took it over. The scent of Mako was always heavy in this area, and Vincent found he was no longer disgusted by it. He was grateful in a way that he'd been made into a freak; a demonic experiment. It had allowed him the ability to protect. Protect at first his friends, then this land, and now…

He reached the dilapidated sign announcing that he'd reached his destination. He made a beeline for the INN, knowing he'd find Cloud and the others there. He would kill Yuffie and Red XIII, but only after Mae was safe and sound.

* * *

Cloud sat at the kitchen table of the INN fussing over Tifa. She made an effort to push him away, but she secretly loved the attention. Cid was at the stove making tea and keeping an eye on the sleeping figures tied and secured on two large sturdy wooden chairs. He smiled when he thought of just how uncomfortable Red XIII and Yuffie would be when they woke. Red in particular. That position was going to be murder on his back…

Tifa had told them about Yuffie and how it wasn't really her fault, but Cid believed in being cautious. If the ninja had been under thrall that long and they hadn't noticed, there was no way to tell if she was still under the spell until she woke. Scan was completely useless on a sleeping person under thrall. That particular spell went dormant once the victim was sleeping.

As for what was up with Red XIII, they would have to wait until the cat was awake _and_ ready to talk. Tifa had mentioned that it hadn't been Yuffie to knock her out, but someone else. Cloud had been with Cid, and Vincent had been with them. Mae had been half dead. That left only two possible people; Reixez, who had not been sighted on the ship, and Red XIII. Not to mention the cat had shown a great dislike for Mae, though that would not explain why he attacked Tifa. He had never shown ill will towards the woman before.

Cid sighed and put out his cigarette. He would have to cast scan on Red XIII too. For all they knew, Reixez cast thrall on those two and made them do his bidding. There was no other possible explanation for it. After all spells were removed, Cid was going to get his hands on as many anti-status materia and materials as he could. Then he was going to beat the piss out of Reixez and go on with his life, ordering people around and kicking lazy butts off his ship.

Speaking of which, Cloud was still hovering over Tifa. Cid frowned and set down the frilly pink tea cup he'd found in the cupboard. It was chipped, but still intact. It was all he'd been able to find, so he swallowed his masculine pride and dealt with it. He needed his caffeine fix.

"Cloud! Get yer ass outside and keep watch. Tifa is a grown woman, she can take care of herself!" Cloud, looking a little flustered stood and did as he was told. Tifa giggled as she watched residual embarrassment and irritation war on Cloud's face. He went out side and Cid plopped down at the table, handing Tifa an equally ridiculous looking tea cup. This one had a small fluffy creature on it. Cid stuck with the pink one. Tifa found herself trying to disguise her humor over the situation from behind her tea cup. The gruff man was still mumbling under his breath about lazy people never pulling their weight.

Tifa sighed, shook her head with a smile and helped herself to the warm tea. She'd never been one for tea, more of a coffee person, but she had to admit, the slightly sweet hot liquid soothed her throat and had a slight calming affect on her. Cloud had healed her fully, casting spells even after the cuts were gone, saying her was making sure, but she was still achy and stiff.

Cid sipped at his tea, looking utterly ridiculous with the pink dainty cup. He didn't care. He loved his caffeine, and coffee tasted nasty to him. He had just started to pour a second cup when Cloud burst through the door, his face all business.

"Vincent's here." Cid set down his cup and grabbed Venus Gospel. Both of the men went outside, leaving Tifa to make sure Red XIII and Yuffie were not left alone.

Vincent stood silently outside the INN, waiting patiently. He was wearing all black, his red cape missing and his golden claw plain in the dull light. His eyes darkened when he saw that both brandished weapons. Cloud saw the hostility and put up a hand.

"We're only going to cast scan on you and make sure you aren't under thrall. We have reason to believe both Red and Yuffie are." Vincent didn't respond. "It's for all our safety…"

"Reixez and Mae are here." Cloud's eyes widened and Cid cursed under his breath.

"Where?" Cloud said evenly. Vincent shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but I heard that they were moving this way." Vincent kept the source of that information to himself. They didn't need to know that Lucrecia still lived, that she fed off of hapless human who happened to wander by.

A high pitched sound reverberated off of the raised mountainous walls lining the path to Nibelheim's mountain ranges. Vincent felt Chaos's demonic blood surging through his veins and a dull pressure as the base of his skull. He couldn't transform. Chaos screamed in his head demanding blood and vengeance. Vincent growled low in his throat setting Cloud and Cid on guard.

"Vincent…" Cloud said raising his sword. Vincent glanced back at them, his eyes blazing.

"Its Mae…" his voice was agonized and full of fury. Cloud and Cid heard the pain there and realized the extent of his feelings for the wayward woman. There was going to be hell to pay if she was hurt. Cloud lowered his sword and called to Tifa to put another sleep spell on Yuffie and Red. She appeared at the door moments later.

"Why? I thought we were…." She stopped when she saw Vincent. "I see." She turned and quickly went back inside.

"Stay here Tifa!" Cloud called.

Vincent wasn't going to wait any longer. He turned, his hair flaring out behind him and bolted down the twisted mountain path. Cid cursed and ran after him, hefting his spear over his shoulder. Cloud sheathed his sword and chased after the duo down the path.

Vincent was no longer paying any attention to the two flanking him, his entire being focused on the screams issuing from far the looming gothic mountain range before him. His flight was cut short when he was forced to skid to a stop to avoid falling down a dark chasm. He cursed under his breath, mourning the loss of Chaos' wings. The bridge was hanging on the other side, barely holding its remnants. They would need to find another way across.

Cloud and Cid stopped a good ten feet from the edge, Cloud waiting for Vincent's move, Cid huffing and puffing and muttering about his lack of cigarettes. Cloud's eyes were sharp as they scanned the area looking for ways around the gap. They caught on a dark hole in the side of a cliff. His eyes also met with what he assumed to be the exit of said path leading across the gap.

"Vincent!"

The dark man turned and followed Cloud's gaze to the alternative route. They came to a silent decision and ran to the cave. Cid looked up from his search for cigarettes just in time to spot them.

"Hey! Wait for me!" He grabbed Venus Gospel and ran after them.

* * *

**:: See! Not a cliffy... sorta... *waits for inevitable frying pan attack...*::**


	17. Of Bats and Bruises

**::Wow! I can't seem to get a chapter out any faster then... ever... Lol. Sorry guys, what with exams and getting myself a boyfriend (boy are they hard to maintain O.o) and work and school and... well you get the idea. I was slacking on the writing, still am actually. It might be a while before the next chapter, I'm not even gonna lie. I'm gonna try hard to limit myself to a week for another chapter, but depending on my work load, I may or may not be able to crank out another. I'll try for you guys! Lots of love to my faithful readers, extended welcomes to new ones, and cookies for all!**

**Disclaimer: I own no Final Fantasy, but I own all originals, including characters, plot, story development and so forth. Steal and your soul will be stolen. Muahahahahaha!**

**Chapter 17**

Mae felt Reixez's knife bite into her flesh. She bit back the pained sounds clogging her throat. No matter how hard she tried to turn her mind to different things, the burning pain always managed to cut through her thoughts redirecting them to the torture being inflicted upon her nerves. But that wasn't the worst of it. Reixez kept chanting in her ear, repeating over and over all of her sins and telling her how beautiful she was, how pretty her bloody hands were. How pretty her wings used to be.

How he would give her new ones.

"Mae," he said almost reverently. He started running his hands over her stomach, smearing the blood there. He'd carved in a circle within a circle, both similar in size with archaic writing lining the inside of the outer circle. Inside the smaller circle were a pentagram and five symbols, also surrounded by strange writing. She whimpered as he set the blade in the fire not to far from then and proceeded to trace the wounds, branding them into her skin.

"It's only just beginning butterfly, don't get sad…"

Mae looked away from him, turning her head to look at the patterns in the rock. The shifting fire light made the dull patterns seem more interesting, but even if the rock were to come alive and start talking to her she doubt it would make much of a difference. The blistering pain from the heated blade drew a single pained cry from her that Reixez rewarded with a laugh and a nip at her bloody neck.

"Don't worry love, I will make your new wings as beautiful as the last ones were…" With that he went back to work. Over and over the red hot blade was placed lightly against her skin tracing the delicate calligraphy that laced the right side of her stomach.

The distinctive smell of burning flesh crawled up Mae's sensitive nose and her stomach churned. She opened her mouth, starting to pant and Reixez snarled at her to keep still. The mark on her back reacted, the patterns rushing out to her body and restricting all movement, even her breathing. So now she was getting less oxygen to her panicked brain and she was starting to feel ill.

The minutes did not fly by; instead they crawled by, each one seemingly slower then the previous. When the unbearable agony finally ceased and the bindings on her limbs were relaxed Mae dove forward and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground. Reixez watched her with a disgusted frown.

"Putrid human," he muttered under his breath. His eyes contracted to slits before relaxing into their normal rounded state. "Mae," he crooned, his voice sweet and toxic, showing none of the distaste he felt. "Come here my little butterfly…"

Mae felt utterly weak and drained. She sunk into despair. There was so way to escape him. So she sat back on her heals, allowed him to wrap his cold arms around her and "comfort" her. Her right side was on fire, the slight pressure from Reixez's embrace making her gasp in pain. She jerked under the attention and almost made to pull away, but Reixez's teeth were on her neck again, lightly grazing on the wound there.

"No…" she said not bothering to hide the horror in her voice. Reixez's chuckle sent a chill up her spine, but warmth returned when he finally pulled away. Mae lifted her head, watching him out of the corner of her eyes.

Reixez, reveling in the fearful attention being bestowed upon him, carefully examined the array of goodies he'd brought with him. The knife had only been a bonus. A rock shelf made a very nice display table and showcased his favorite devices. Normally he used them only in interrogation, but they would hold a very special purpose today.

A whip, standard really, but his had a nice little surprise at the tip, a rounded arrow head that had a jagged hook to tear whatever flesh it came in contact with. He would not use this until he had coaxed the demon from Mae. He didn't want to mar the beautiful designs he'd so painstakingly carved into her flesh.

Next item on the list was a dented metal bat. Nothing special, but in made a very nice way to inspire colorful bruises and various ways to break bones. This would be his favorite weapon until the time came to pull Mae's demon out of hiding.

A clawed glove. Essential when bringing out the physical aspects of her demon.

And last but not least, a vial, his own special creation. A serum that would bring out Mae's demon and keep it there. He smiled. It would be so fun once he gave this to her. He would have to listen to her screams for a good five minutes before he would get to go to work, but he would revel in every second of it. He didn't particularly enjoy screaming, but when it was Mae…

Snickering to himself, Reixez grabbed the dented metal bat, its rusted countenance glittering in the dusky firelight. Mae saw it and her sunken eyes widened. She stood as fast as her aching muscles would allow and held up her arms, ready to defend her vitals as long as she could. Reixez was going to do his damnedest to bring out her demon, she knew this. That didn't mean that she was going to let it transpire without a fight.

Reixez tossed the bat and caught it, letting the tip fall lightly to the ground and then dragging it behind him. The sound was strident and grating on Mae's already thin nerves. She held up her arms in a defensive position and sidestepped so her back wasn't to the closest wall. It would give her room to maneuver.

"Sweet, sweet Mae… My beautiful butterfly…"

"Fuck you," she rasped. There was fear in her voice and she knew it. It didn't matter anyway. This man had already seen her at her weakest, what he saw now didn't make a difference. He knew she was afraid, he could smell it.

Reixez pulled the bat along the ground increasing the speed of his swing and bringing it up under Mae's chin. Flinging her head back allowed Mae to dodge the potentially fatal blow, but it made her lose her balance and stumble back. Reixez wasted no time in advancing on her, quickly closing the distance between them, the rusted bat held high.

Mae steeled herself for the blow, raising her forearms to block it, lamenting that her hands were stiff and sore from her attack on the gate and the chasm crossing by rope. They would have been much more useful and much less painful to use. The bat came down on her boney forearms with a resounding crack.

Mae couldn't hold back the pained cry that flew from her lips. She shoved the bat aside and drew her arms in close, praying that the bones weren't broken, but knowing there was no other explanation for the shooting pains shooting up her arms. A quick inspection via touch revealed that her left arm was in fact broken, but thankfully her right was still intact, though the bruise from that particular blow would probably turn a variety of very interesting colors in the near future.

Mae retreated back. Reixez still had a smile on his face and was chanting stupid things like, "Silly butterfly, pretty butterfly, fly if you can, fly my butterfly…" It was a sadistic mantra that made his crazed eyes and creepy smile all the more frightening.

Mae tried to keep moving, keep him as far away as possible, but she couldn't keep her eyes on both him and the walls around her. Because of this she found herself backed into a corner more then once. Each time this happened Reixez would launch forward and slam the bat into an unprotected body part.

So far she still only had one broken bone, but her hands had been knocked numb, her legs were probably covered in bruises, her one foot would not support her weight and the cut on her side was red and very sore from when the bat had grazed it. She was lucky he hadn't come closer. She would already be done. She'd managed to protect all of her major organs and her head from getting hit. She didn't need an organ rupturing or her skull being cracked open.

The worst part was that things had only just begun. Though she kept moving, she could never seem to get close to the sliver of light that meant freedom. The walls of the alcove seemed to grow ever more and more oppressive, closing in, making the space seem even smaller, and her chances ever slimmer.

Mae ducked a blow from the bat that cleaved the stone above her and decided, what the heck, I'm dead anyway right? She pushed off her good foot and put her remaining strength into the rush for the exit. A thud and sickening crunch preceded the wave of fire that spread up her left side. Mae sucking in air to scream, and found that hurt more, so she quickly released it with a pained hissed. She fell to the ground, landing on her right side and curled into a ball, too absorbed in her current pain to worry about the possibility of more.

"Oh Mae," Reixez said with an air of disappointment. "Now you've gone and made me cut our fun short." He tossed the bat aside, now bent in half.

Mae could only clutch her side and take in agonized breaths of air. Her mouth was wide open in pain and her eyes were watering with unshed tears.

Reixez grabbed her broken arm to haul her to her feet and Mae let out a strident scream. He frowned and dropped her to the ground again. With an air of disgust he moved to the side, his eyes watching her shake and rock back and forth.

"I think it's time for a new toy." With that sentiment he walked over to the table and picked up the little vial. "I'm tired of playing with your human form. It's time to bring out your demon…"

Mae's head was filled with static pain, unable to focus on anything but her breathing and the short stabs of agony that followed them. She barely registered Reixez's statement, only panicking when he jerked her head up and disturbed both her broken arm and ribs.

A pungent yellow liquid was poured into her mouth, which was promptly covered. It tasted like warmed puke topped with sour milk. Mae's upchuck reflex was going on in full force, but when Reixez's hand covered her nose to she was forced to swallow. When the obstructions were removed she coughed and gagged and doubled over in pain, both from her ribs and a new fire that was burning a path down her throat. When it hit her stomach it settled there for just a moment, giving her a not unpleasant warm feeling.

It didn't last.

Mae's mouth opened in a wide O and her eyes closed in a pained grimace. She gave one last attempt at silence, but the fire in her stomach erupted and she screamed, tearing her already sore throat. Whatever Reixez had made her swallow was ripping apart her insides, eating away at them like acid. At least that's what it felt like.

Suddenly the pain in her arm and ribs didn't seem so bad. Reixez had to restrain her flailing limbs as a matter of fact. After the first minute she had started to try and rip her stomach open, scratching welts into the smooth flesh around her navel. Reixez laughed at her pain, holding her arms behind her back with one hand and stroking her face with the other. Tears fell unhindered now in streams down her face. They were tinged pink with blood.

"So beautiful…" Reixez mused. Mae howled in agony. The fire spread to her chest then traveled out to her limbs, intensifying when they reached a wound. When it reached her head she could no longer scream. Her body shook and jerk in un-contained spasms. Reixez held her still as her eyes rolled back into her head.

The five minutes passed to quickly for Reixez, but they seemed like a lifetime for Mae. Even as the fire died down inside her Mae couldn't bring herself to stop shaking. If she still had a voice, she would be screaming. Nothing could be done now. She was so tired that even the slightest relief sent her straight into a haze of sleep. Darkness settled over her eyes and she drifted off, unable to fight the pull of oblivion. She found she didn't want to.

* * *

Vincent still raced the many twisted tunnels lacing the mountain range, but Cid and Cloud had given up for the moment. They both sat on a raised section of rock breathing heavily. They watched as Vincent raced from tunnel to tunnel, seemingly going in circles. Finally he stopped in front of them his eyes and stance screaming his antsy rage. He sat a distance away.

It was late afternoon. The day had begun early, and it seemed to go on forever. So much had happened in so short a time. It seemed they wouldn't be able to reach Mae today. Once it got dark they would be unable to navigate the twisted logic of the paths in Nibelheim mountains; they could barely do it during the day.

Vincent seemed to sense this, hanging his head and leaning over, eyes riveted to the ground. They slowly lost their anger, being replaced by weary acceptance, and a sense of helplessness. Cloud felt bad for him, his blue eyes losing their normal hard look.

"She'll be ok Vincent," he said softly. Vincent didn't look up. Cid opened his mouth to add a sarcastic joke about Vincent acting like a mother hen, but quickly shut it when he got a look at Vincent's dejected countenance. He rubbed the back of his head and looked away, mumbling an assent to Cloud's remark.

"She's a tough girl," he said lighting a short cigarette. "She'll stay alive." Vincent's dark figure stayed motionless. His long straight hair covered his face, preventing both the mercenary and pilot from seeing his reaction. "She's made it this far on her own Vin. She can make it another night…"

A low growl escaped Vincent. He lifted his head up, his hair parting to reveal red rimmed eyes that burned with frustrated anger. "What if this time she can't? What if she's tired of fighting? What then!" He stood up, towering over Cid who continued to calmly smoke his cigarette. Cloud got up and stood between them, grabbing Vincent's arms to restrain him. Vincent pretended he wasn't even there, bulling his way over to Cid.

"That's up to her Vin…"

"She can't decide if he's going to kill her or not!" Vincent screamed over Cloud's shoulder, his voice carrying and echoing over the jagged rocks and canyons. Cid sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"She's not in a good spot, Vin. I know that if Reixez wanted to kill her she'd already be dead, so her life has value to him… as long as it has value to her. If she keeps fighting back, she has a chance of living."

Vincent let out a frustrated growl, pushing Cloud away from him and taking a few steps back. He had to collect himself. Yelling at Cid wasn't going to solve anything, nor was getting all worked up. That would only impair his judgment further. So he took a deep breath, trying to push all of his anger out with his exhale. His hand found tired lines on his face and he closed his eyes, willing his head to stop pounding.

As the red hot anger left him so did the sun leave the sky. As night rolled over and took hold of the sun, sweeping its burning light away, so did darkness roll over and cover the jagged mountain ranges. Somewhere in the toothy maw of the unforgiving rock laid Mae.

Vincent could only think of the worst case scenario. In his mind she lay among the dust and debris of the bridge or in a random ravine bloody and broken, either dead or dying. He had not heard her screams for some time.

His shoulders sagged and he slumped back onto the flat rock that was to be his bed for the night. Once again his midnight black hair fell over his face and he retreated into the tortured confines of his mind. Chaos slept restlessly, his agitation over Mae's disappearance keeping Vincent from sleep. The demon had recovered its strength enough for a short transformation, but Vincent knew that would do no good. Chaos would need all night to locate Mae, and he only had strength for a half hour, if that. So he lay on his back and willed the moon to glow brighter.

* * *

**::Vincent: I hate you.**

**Me: What? Why?**

**Vincent: *glares* You know why.**

**Me: O.O' Uhmm... Right... uh... I'm gonna... go now...**

**Review loyal readers! It might make me write faster O.o::**


	18. Wings

**:: You know, normally I would start this with an apology for making the chapter late, but hell, I'll just entertain you with a story as to why I didn't have this chapter out last weekend.**

**I was all ready to put this chapter out last friday before I went home for the weekend, I had even ran a good mile or so before bed to ensure I would get a good night's sleep so I could write well the next day on Thursday night. I had gone to bed at 1 AM and was in the midst of a very nice deep sleep when I woke up to the sound of my roommate Sarah screaming, "What the FUCK do you think you're doing?"**

**I woke up, dazed and confused. I looked around the room and saw her standing by our door. She said, "Do you see her?" I saw nothing until she turned the lights on. Up until that point I had heard a strange noise. it sounded like someone was pouring water on wood. So my first thoughts were, "Why is Sarah pouring water on wood?"**

**Well, when the lights turned on I noticed something strange. There was a girl in Sarah's wardrobe, crouched down and... peeing? Yes folks. She was peeing in the wardrobe.**

**The smell hit me and I opened the window to avoid puking my guts up. After taking the longest piss in existence this girl asked for a napkin, cleaned herself up, pulled up her shorts and stood to leave. On a whim Sarah asked her if she knew where she was, and the response (though I can't remember what it was due to my shock and half asleep state) made me think of a small child who had just learned to talk.**

**After she left the room we just looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was so freaking gross. Ugh. I mean jesus, who pees in a freaking wardrobe? I looked at the clock and it was 4 AM. Ugh. Needless to say, we couldn't just go back to sleep with our room smelling like pee, so we tracked down the girl's host (she was a guest on campus), and got all of the legal stuff out of the way, just in case we stood the chance of getting charged for damages, and then wandered the campus until our 9:55 AM class, laughing about strange people peeing in wardrobes. We were so out of it, lol.**

**Anyway, my mind was in a state of shock for most of the weekend, and my phone broke because that was the day it started raining really bad, and (believe it or not) its still raining an entire week later. So that weekend I was more focused on getting a new phone, so I neglected to post the newest chapter for you guys (sorry!). I plan on spending all weekend writing the next one in apology, so you will get the next chapter before next friday! Yay! Lol.**

**Also, due to the fact that this is one loooooooong freaking intro note, all review shout outs will be at the end of the chapter this time. Lots of love to my readers!**

**Chapter 18**

Soft murmurs penetrated the wall around Mae's mind and she moved further towards consciousness, careful not to leave the warm heavy confines of the deep recesses of her mind. She was curious, but to happy in the state of unconsciousness to leave.

As she rose slowly through the layers of sleep she began to notice more and more things. First she noticed that there was a gentle breeze gently touching her skin. Then she noticed she felt heavy and awkward, and her back muscles were sore and stiff. The voice grew closer, now speaking what she dimly recognized as words, but they were unable to penetrate the fog that still surrounded her mind.

More sensations came. Her throat was sore and swollen feeling, and it hurt to swallow. Her arms were in a strange position and she was having a hard time feeling them. Her legs wouldn't respond, so she forgot about them. Her head was starting to hurt, a dull throbbing making its way up her spine to the base of her skull, then moving to settle in her forehead.

Her eyes felt like they were sown shut. She didn't even attempt to open them, instead she shrank back into her mind in the hopes that she would be unable to remember what has cause the residual pain she was starting to feel all over her body.

Suddenly her arm was shifted and a blinding pain shot up the left side of her body. Her throat closed up when she tried to protest the movement, and instead of a scream or moan, she gagged. The first cough spurred her muscles to contract, which cause her broken ribs to shift, which cause her to choke and gasp for air.

"Ah… look who's awake…" The deep cajoling voice washed over her, but strangely enough didn't inspire fear. It inspired rage. Uncontrolled and wild, so hot it burned away the pain that had manifested in her left side. The tightness in her throat retreated a little and Mae growled.

The hand that had been lightly touching and testing her broken arm backed off. Mae twitched and used her good arm to twist around and pry open her eyes. Her vision was blurry and the light breeze that had been so comforting before stung her eyes and made them water. Mae bared her teeth, unable to see the threat that she knew lingered in the area. She could smell the blood on his hands.

This thought surprised a small part of her mind, sending a shot of fear into her, but it was quickly quelled when another thought pointed out priority number one. Survive.

So Mae backed towards a large towering shape she assumed to be a wall and assessed the damage. Her left arm was still broken, and so were her ribs. There was a burning sensation on her right side, but it was nothing to be bothered about.

Gritting her teeth she felt her way along the break in her left arm. From what she could tell it had been a clean break. Good, that would save her some trouble. With a grunt she jerked the bone back into place and leaned against the wall to ride out the waves of pain.

Footsteps echoed from the far side of the room, never drawing closer to her, but always moving. Mae ignored this. She cared not about the footsteps or their owner at the moment. She was inches from falling off the cliff in her mind and back into unconsciousness. It would be nice. She could heal while she lingered in black oblivion.

A fleeting thought brought her hands to her ribs. They were probably broken in more places then she could count. There was no way to tell, and no way for her to fix them. You can't really set a broken rib. She just hoped that someone found her soon, or she recovered enough to get to a town where help could be summoned. Leaving this particular injury for to long would be fatal.

The pacing footsteps stopped and Mae opened her bloodshot eyes to look at the dark man standing a good fifteen feet from where she sat. His cold blue eyes were filled with satisfaction and glee. She frowned, her mind connected his presence with fear, but she couldn't remember why. Her chest felt unusually cold, despite the lingering traces of red hot rage. She cradled her arm and studied the strange man.

When fear did not register on Mae's face, Reixez grew puzzled, but he suspected that it was only temporary. Sometimes the serum caused certain parts of the mind to shut down. It his experiments, memory and the part of the brain associated with emotion were usually the most affected.

Reixez's smile grew and he strolled over to Mae, crouching down to be level with her.

"Feeling better love?" The flash of violent anger in Mae's eyes did not escape his notice and inside he beamed. Success.

"Who are you to address me so? Get lost prick." With that Mae stood, using the wall to ground her. Her head swam even though she'd moved slowly and she lost feeling in her fingers and legs. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. When the feeling passed she opened her eyes. Reixez had stood and was now standing very close to her. Mae registered a slightly panicked feeling, but quickly brushed it aside. It felt to far away to be of any concern to her, besides, another presence in her mind was shifting around, and it was making her uncomfortable.

With another frown, this time directed at whatever was moving around in her head, Mae moved to walk around Reixez. After trying twice to leave, both times only to find Reixez blocking her, Mae snarled and tried to push the annoying man to the side.

"Mae…" The voice sent chills up her spine and Mae stopped trying to get past him. There was nothing but frozen ice burgs in his eyes… and a hunger. Suspicion and a feeling of dread welled up inside her. She reached to her side, unconsciously reaching for her sword, though she didn't know why. When her hand felt air her eyes widened and her memories hit her like an industrial sledgehammer.

"Oh fuck…" Reixez smiled. The terror made a momentary return before reason set in. "I forgot I had work today…" The quick save and strange sentiment gave Reixez pause and he frowned, his brow wrinkling. Reveling in the return of her voice, though unable to comprehend why her throat had suddenly eased, Mae continued.

"Work? What work?"

Mae tilted her head to the side and pretended to think. "I work at the Corner Store… near the Art Shoppe…" Mentioning such old haunts from a previous life gave rise to a sharp pain that stabbed mercilessly at her heart, but Mae kept her façade up. It would be unwise not to.

Reixez was not happy with this development. Apparently the serum had affected her memory more then he thought it would. If she didn't remember the deaths of her family it would be no fun. He could still pull the physical aspects of her demon out, but it wouldn't hurt her as much, and he so enjoyed the smell of her fear and pain.

Mae looked around at the enclosed rock face, taking in her surroundings for the first time. She'd looked at them before, but now everything looked slightly different. She leaned over and peered through the sliver that was the exit and noted that the moon was in the sky. Funny how it seemed so bright in here despite the lack of a source of light.

As Mae pondered her new senses, Reixez thought on how he was going to make his pet miserable. Ideas for torture were never far from his psyche, but no solution for the current situation came to mind. His bloodlust was spiking though, and he was losing patience. He was still worked up from their "play" earlier. Reixez growled. He was tired of messing around.

Mae noticed the change immediately and ducked under the attempt to grab her, breaking once again for the open air. She found it. The feeling of complete freedom over took her, filling her chest with a momentary hope. Her blood filled with adrenaline and she soared away from the enraged scream behind her. Her body's ache and pains were forgotten and her soul screamed in joy and triumph as the air blew past her. She was moving at speeds that no human could run. Reixez was not to be deterred.

The feeling of utter freedom was crushed along with the rest of her body when Reixez tackled her, his demon traits beginning to manifest, though he was not about to transform. He didn't want his demon half to have that satisfaction.

Mae's face was shoved into the dirt and her good arm was pinned with a bony kneecap. Reixez ground the bone into hers, making sure she knew who was in control, and then he slipped on the clawed gloves. The silver tips glinted in the moonlight, the hollowed tips whistling in the whipping wind. Mae knew in at least one part of her mind that the pain was coming. She tried to deny it, but the cold invading presence silenced her with a quiet whisper.

Fear was quelled as the first cold tip on the clawed glove slid down her back, slicing open the back of her shirt and bra. She shivered at the cold touch that followed, lightly tracing the irritated stretch of marred skin he'd given her the last time she encountered his delicate touch.

"Oh I am going to enjoy this…" The lusty voice above her was deep and rough with bloodlust and demonic intent. Mae flexed the muscles in her left arm, surprised when only a slight pang greeted her. She hated to theorize as to why that was. She knew there were only a select few possibilities. None of them bode well for her in the long run.

Ignoring the physical parts of her body to delve into her mind, Mae tentatively reached out a tendril of thought towards the invading presence in her mind. It did not flinch when she touched it, nor did it attack or shrink away. Intrigued, Mae felt along the edges of it. It felt smooth and slick, like liquid silver to her mind. It was almost like a balm to the fear and hopelessness that had taken control of her thought processes, but it also left a bit of frost bite where ever it went.

Shifting lower into a semi conscious state, Mae was able to visualize the strange presence in her mind. She managed to manifest a physical thought form of herself and opened her eyes. In front of her loomed the figure of a woman with flowing hair that seemed to blow up from unseen currents of air. She had no color, no clear definition, and Mae could not see where her dress ended and she began.

Though the woman herself was completely still everything around her moved, touched and controlled by an unseen current or wind that tossed them and threw them about. Mae took a step towards her. The woman was facing away and Mae felt the unbridled urge to see her face. Her eyes.

Mae reached out her hand and quickly pulled it back. The closer she reached to the woman's skin, if it could be called that, the colder the air got. It was as if the woman was frost manifested. Mae bit her lip and reached for the woman again. As her finger tips grazed the skin of the glowing woman Mae was reminded of the softest flower petal. That's all her mind had time to register though, because she was brutally torn from her mind's eye when cruel metal tore through skin and sinew, spewing forth warm blood.

Her cry was loud and fierce, fervent and wild. There was pain in there, oh yes, but there was something else to. A subliminal sound; wild and enraged. The ice in Mae's mind spread out through her body numbing the pain in her ribs. It did not touch the new pains in her back yet. It knew there would be no point to heal it now.

As her ribs cracked into place and sealed over Mae found she had more breath to scream with. She didn't waste it. Forcing her screams down into her throat, Mae rode out the tearing and pulling as Reixez dug into her back.

Reixez was looking for something particular. When he first tore into Mae he did not see it, but the more carnage he caused, the more the particular something he was looking for materialized. When he decided he'd seen his fill of Mae's torn flesh he grasped the now pointed and protruding bones sticking out of her shoulders and pulled with all of his might.

Mae bit her lip in an effort not to scream. The bone in her shoulder grew slowly under Reixez's pressure. He coaxed it out through rough pulls and body wracking blows. As the bone grew from her back he broke it periodically and shaped it into the image he desired. Mae let her tears fall, watching as they turned the dust below her to mud.

Though the icy presence in her mind reached out and healed the worst of her wounds, Mae knew that it should not be there. It may be helping her now, but she knew what it really was. Her demon. The one that she had held back for so long. The one she pushed away and denied the blood it so craved. Reixez had brought it out, and now it was crawling around in her mind. Hell, it wasn't confined to that. It just healed her. It was waiting, biding its time. Beautiful or not, it was deadly and evil. Mae knew that things could only get worse.

As Reixez fished out the second bone protruding from Mae's back the calligraphy on Mae's right side flashed and started to glow. The burning sensation returned and spread up her body to her shoulder. Suddenly it moved up the long bone that Reixez pulled from her back, and then there was sensation there too. A lot of it.

Mae gasped at the strange feelings running up and down the strange new extremity. She craned her head and saw that the bone was slowly being covered by a dark skin that was stretching down it and into the broken extensions that grew off it. Wings. He was giving her wings. Demon's wings. Her humanity was going out the window. There was no way she could reverse a major physical change like this.

Dejected and despairing, Mae hung her head and let Reixez finish his work. There was nothing else she could do. The presence in her mind grew colder and poked at her mind, seemingly angry at such thoughts, but Mae ignored it. She would not let that demon into her head. She could feel its lust for blood even as she pushed it further away. There was nothing she could do now. Nothing to do but wait.

* * *

Vincent had fallen into a state of half sleep when fear tore though him. He jerked upright, his back groaning in protest. He ignored it in favor of the cries riding the wind. It was almost dawn. The sky was lightening, the clouds glowing various shades of purple and pink and orange, welcoming the sun as it crept up the horizon.

Cid and Cloud woke as well, albeit slower, and in Cid's case, with much more protests. Vincent was riveted by the sound. Chaos was silent and still, his violent energy fluctuating, humming almost, in time with the scream. Vincent swore he heard something else with it, but his human ears couldn't make it out. Chaos seemed to smile in his mind before prodding his mind forcefully, telling him in not so many words to get his butt in gear.

Vincent wasted no time. Chaos crept up into his being and his eyes began to glow, the pupils turning into slits. Cloud saw this and locked onto Vincent's form. He was lucky he had been paying attention. Vincent took off at the drop of a hat into the caves and tunnels of the damnable mountain. Cid, still half asleep followed, stumbling and cursing, barely keeping up.

Vincent had no clue why or how he knew where to go. Chaos seemed to be in tune with something and it was pulling them both forward at breakneck speeds towards Mae.

**:: Well, you knew it was coming folks. I seem to always end with a cliffhangar, you shouldn't be surprised! Lol.**

**Aranae: Glad to know I got another one sucked into reading my story! Muahahahaha! I will corrupt you all! *ahem* Sorry, evil moment O.o I stopped by your site to check out your story, and I have to say its pretty freaking awesome! XD ALL OF MY READERS SHOULD GO CHECK IT OUT **hint hint nudge nudge poke poke** (shameless pitch) Lol**

**Nanasawa-san140: Wow, I gots me lots of new readers on this one O.o Well, I can understand you getting a little confused to that Nanasawa-san, keep reading and you will find out why :)**

**EvilBlanket: I LOVE YOUR NAME! Lolololol. Ok, now that I've said that, thanks for the review! Sorry my update was late, but hey! I've never had someone pee in my wardrobe before, it was kinda a new experience, sorta time consuming, ya know... lol**

**SweetxPandemonium: Oops, I think I exceeded my one week limit O.o I promise I won't miss the due date this time! Lol. I prolly shouldn't promise... Oh well, I really will try though. I have off this Tuesday, so I'll have extra time to write. *puts on silly writers cap* I won't fail you! . Lol. PS: Thanks for being my human shield!**

**fantasy-elf: Uh oh... Looks like I'm being brought up on charges of abuse -.- *hides from glare* Eep! I don't enjoy it I swear! All will become clear! There is method to my madness!**

**Phantom's Ange: Short and sweet XD Thank-you for taking the time to review! *throws cookies to you***

**00Shona: O.O *runs***

**dreamer-girl-reana: Awww :) Thank-you for the compliments! Stay tuned for more unparalleled action!**

**Once again, Love to all my readers, keep reading, don't kill me when I don't update *cough00Shonacough*, and review! Lol. I hope to read your awesome reviews sometime in the near future, and will do my best to have them answered and posted along with a new chapter before I get old and gray, haha.**

**Reno: Too late... *car drops on his head***

**Vincent: O.O**

**Me: Ahem, anywhoddlies, I need to go finish stealing all the cookies from the cookie jar. Excuse me ;)**


	19. Blood Web

**:: Hey! I kept my promise, and here it is, Chapter 19. *cheers* Yeah, its a bit short, but I managed to get it out for you guys. I might have held it off another day, added a bit more, but the discouraging amount of reviews on the last chapter inclined me to be evil and leave a nasty cliffhanger. Muahahahaha! So, yeah...**

**SweetxPandemonium:** O.O Wow, being my bodyguard seems to be hard work. Well, being as you have now saved me from being shot u get a whole plate of cookies! Cyber cookies, yeah, but hey, cookies are cookies right? XD

**Luna of the Black Moon:** Thanks! Glad to know that my hard work is appreciated :D And being as I don't know what else to say, but don't feel inclined to shut up and let people read the next chapter, I'm going to... ya know I dunno. -.-

**Disclaimer: _I own no Final Fantasy, but I do own all original characters and plot lines. Steal them and I will decorate my christmas tree with your entrails! Muahahahahaha! (PS: the saddest part was I said this to a substitute teacher once when she wouldn't leave me alone O.o Needless to say she didn't talk to me much after that Lol!)::_**

**Chapter 19**

Reixez ran his long fingers along the leathery wing splayed out alongside Mae. She was just laying there. His mouth curled in disgust. He couldn't wait before the demon in her finally took over her instincts. Then he would finally have what he wanted; a suitable mate, or, if the demon did not take to him, a rival who would take thrill in the game of predator versus prey. Hell, maybe he would even allow her to be the predator for once…

He stood up from where he knelt, a giddy smile plastered on his face, and carefully peeled off the clawed gloves and set them aside to be cleaned later. The blood spatter from Mae's various wounds littered the ground. He stopped a moment to admire the sight. It reminded him of a ruby jeweled web with the way it glowed in the morning light. Allowing his smile to grow, Reixez hummed merrily as he continued to collect his various tools and store them in a rough burlap sack.

He had just finished packing up when his demon poked at the corner of his mind, whispering hurriedly. At first he was annoyed at the interruption of his lovely daydream, but then the content of the message got through to him. There was an enemy approaching. Reixez frowned a bit but his smile returned when he saw Cid dart into the mountain side trailing behind.

_Well, well,_ he thought. _It seems Mae's made some friends after all…_ An idea struck him and a ravenous smile curled his lips. There was a certain side affect to housing a demon in both your head and your body.

Mae would wake up hungry.

* * *

Vincent blasted through the side of a wide tunnel, to anxious to take the long route to get to Mae. The only problem with his strategy was that the tunnel was too weak to sustain itself without the other slab of rock holding it together. As the tunnel caved in around Cloud and Cid, Vincent flew forward towards the overwhelming smell of blood and bile. Their shouts of frustration and fear were blocked out by the roar of Vincent's blood in his ear.

Chaos' anger and anticipation surged through him, giving him strength. He dashed around a slim rock path, ignoring the way the soft, dry dirt slid from under his feet. Rocks from the side of the cliff broke off and rolled down into black oblivion, their echoes dying off slowly.

Vincent stopped as the bright red sun of the morning temporarily blinded him. He planted his feet into the ground, losing his balance momentarily when the soft dust shifted. Letting his eyes recover, Vincent used his other senses. It smelled strongly of blood and bile and demons, as well as the lingering stinging scent of fear and panic.

The red burning heat of the sun in his eyes was nothing compared to the searing heat of Chaos' anger shifting violently in his head. The demon kept sending waves of energy out through his limbs making Vincent want to tear flesh and ravage the first living thing he came into contact with.

_I swear to all the gods that exist, I will rip Reixez's limbs from his rot infested body and beat him to death with them if she's hurt… _Vincent stilled his muscles, each vibrating with adrenaline and the need to move. Being reckless here would do no good.

Mae's flowery scent was smothered and undetectable, but the scent of her blood was both intoxicating and frightening. As the white haze of the sun slowly died away and his vision returned Vincent felt the cold fear settle in his gut again. The scene before him did nothing to ease the aforementioned fear gnawing at his gut.

Blood littered the ground, splattered and smeared all around, macabre graffiti, a testament of the horrors visited upon the missing woman. A single pool of blood, dark and deep, thick with mud sent pangs of pain and panic through Vincent's heart. He couldn't believe it. Didn't want to but… no human could lose that amount of blood and live.

Chaos' low growl in his head, and the demon's venomous voice could not reach the shell shocked mind of Vincent Valentine. It was to far away, wrapped in a cocoon of pain and guilt.

Numbly Vincent walked forward towards the pool of dark blood. He allowed himself to fall to his knees and stare at the motionless, pristine reflection in the surface of his tainted eyes.

"Mae…" he whispered, his voice constricted and gravelly. A jerky movement and warning from Chaos drew Vincent's attention. Something moved in the shadow of a small alcove not to far from where Vincent was kneeling.

Hope graced his lungs and Vincent took a deep breath. There, just a small taste in the air… flowers.

Chaos' growing annoyance with the emotional human that housed him caused him to growl impatiently and claw at the sensitive part of his mind. When Vincent recoiled with a muffled cry, he ceased the assault. **"Pay attention foolish human. Look at the blood…"**

Though surprised to hear Chaos' voice so clearly, Vincent did as he was told. Normally Chaos would only whisper and feed him ideas through intense emotions, or he would tear at his mind until Vincent figured out what it was he wanted. He hardly ever came right out and said things, so when he did, Vincent listened.

Eying the dark pool of blood caused a twinge of pain, but Vincent ignored it. Leading away from the puddle was, instead of blood spatter, a heavy concentration of smeared blood… and hand prints.

Frowning, Vincent walked cautiously towards the shadow. Light quick breaths caught his attention and the smell of fear and blood lust hit him like an anvil. Dread filled his chest and he moved forward into the alcove. It turned out to be larger then he thought, and it too was filled with blood along with a healthy dose of puke and stomach bile. But amongst all of the other smells was the airy scent of flowers. Even though he knew that he shouldn't, Vincent allowed himself to hope.

Something in the corner shifted and Vincent spun around to see a figure moving towards the opening to the alcove. Because the light coming from the opening was so bright, he found himself unable to adjust his eyes enough to see if the figure shrouded in shadow was Mae. So he did the only thing he could do.

"Mae…" Vincent said softly, as if afraid that his voice would chase away the shadow and his hope along with it. The movement of the figure jerked to a stop, freezing instantly. Vincent stopped as well, afraid that he would scare it away; afraid it was Reixez playing a trick on him. "Mae… is that you?"

A small movement, a shifting of weight, then a jerk and the figure had slipped out of the alcove and into the light. Vincent gave chase, once again momentarily blinded by the bright morning light. The figure didn't go far, opting for another shadowy retreat. Apparently he or she didn't like the light either.

Stopping in front of the newest hiding spot, Vincent slowly moved towards the shadow. It shuddered and moved further away, seemingly afraid. It wanted to be as far from Vincent as possible. The worst part was that, as he got closer, the stronger the scent of flowers got. Under any other circumstances this would be good, hell it was anyway, but, Vincent also began to notice something else. The shadow's figure was distorted, and its scent, though he could swear it was Mae's, was tainted by not only fear but blood lust.

Mae was a human. Humans didn't experience blood lust.

The dead weight of dread settled once again in his chest cavity and Vincent let down all of his guards by kneeling and slowly moving into the shadow. When his eyes adjusted and met with the glowing bluish silver orbs of Mae's, he almost allowed himself to smile in relief.

That was until he noticed her wings.

* * *

**:: Cliffy! Cliffy! Cliffy! XD *runs around like crazy eating pixie sticks***

**Vincent: Who gave her sugar?**

**Reno: -.-' Don't ask me, I don't even know why I'm here!**

**Vincent: Good point, you haven't been in the story since chapter 10 Which pretty much makes you obsolete**

**Reno: Thanks**

**Vincent: *shrugs***

**Me: *Runs past and into the next room* XD *mass destruction ensues***

**Vincent: I'm going to go find the tranquilizer gun...**


	20. To bite or Not to Bite?

**:Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I've been studying for a big psych exam tomorrow. I got bored with circadian rhythms and classical conditioning though, so I decided to write up a quick chapter for you guys. I'm sorry to say that I'm going to be taking a bit of time in churning out the following chapter though. It all depends on how I feel over the Thanksgiving break. If I get time, I'll write, but I'm making no promises. Hopefully my classes will let up after that and I'll be able to give you guys a nice looooong chapter to tide you over and make up for my lack of writing.**

**Luna of the Black Moon - HEY! You're not supposed to give him the tranquilizer gun! Traitor! *runs from Vincent who slowly follows with a wicked smile***

**SweetxPandemonium - Cookies! XD ... Yeah so Mae might try to eat Vinnie boy, but hey makes for an interesting plot line eh? ; )**

**00Shona - O.O ANOTHER TRAITOR! *notices stolen pixie sticks* Hey... those are my pixie sticks ... *looks up to see Reixez being tied to a tree*... O.o Oh... wow... ummmmm... XD**

**iana silmir - Hey! Thanks for getting rid of the tranquilizer guns! I was really out numbered on that one -.- So yeah! Glad to hear you like the story, as for the new emotions I really didn't think about it to much, but Vincent really does seem kinda cold to just about everyone else's emotions. He shows subtle hints of caring, but never too powerful. Glad to be one of the first to bring out a new side to him!**

**Aranae - I don't _enjoy _torture... Really! I don't! It's all part of the big picture you'll see! Sheesh... Ok, well, maybe I do enjoy torturing you guys... just a little XD**

**dreamer-girl-reana - Thanks! Glad to know my story is wuved XD**

**Disclaimer:_ I own no Final Fantasy, but I own all original characters, plot lines and corny jokes about tranquilizer guns... ok well maybe not that last one, but I own the rest! Muahahahaha! ... Also, if you steal them I will sic Reixez on u and he WILL NOT use a tranquilizer gun... hehehe._**

**Chapter 20**

"Mae?"

His voice was filled with concern, heavy with pain and guilt and something else Mae couldn't identify. She moved further away from him, terrified.

The red hunger gnawing at her gut and the smell of blood making her salivate was what she had awoken to. The most sickening part was that it was her own blood and she didn't care. Her first instinct was to lick it off the ground. Disgusted with herself and more then a little freaked out, she had tried to leave.

Reixez was gone, that fact had not escaped her mind, but something else had come hurtling out from a rock face at her. Its scent was strong and familiar, but there was another one as well. It too smelled of blood.

_Vincent…_ Mae ran. It was all she could do. She would not allow the demon monopolizing her mind and senses to make a meal out of Vincent using her body. And she was so weak right now, she knew she wouldn't be able to fight the urge, the maddening lure of his blood, so sweet and tainted…

Jerking her mind away from the siren call of the demon, Mae settled herself in the shadows, knowing Vincent would find her, but unable to move away from him. As he moved closer she found herself sinking further into the red haze of blood lust. Never had she imagined it would be so damned strong.

"Mae? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Vincent slowly extended a hand towards her. Lost in her thoughts, Mae hadn't noticed it until his hand was inches from her face. Panic flooded her when her first impulse was to bite the wrist and drain the blood flowing there. She jerked back with a yelp and a hiss and Vincent quickly withdrew his hand.

Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open ever so slightly. The fangs that protruded there were cumbersome and Mae didn't want to risk cutting her tongue on them for fear that even the taste of her own blood would drive her to madness and leave her lost in the blood lust, killing whatever was left of her humanity.

Fighting as well as she could the raging thirst, Mae shook her head at Vincent, willing him to understand, to just go.

_Please, _she thought desperately. _Leave me here… I'll hurt you… kill you… go Vincent… Stupid man, I'm trying to let you live!_

But Vincent could not hear her thoughts, and Mae could not garner the control to speak them aloud.

"Mae… Come here, I won't hurt you," he said softly, coaxing her towards him gently as if she were a small, harmless, frightened child. To bad for him she was none of the above. She was not small, she was frightened only of hurting him, and she was far from harmless. He was coaxing death towards him, and Mae was losing to the syrupy sweet consciousness of the demon in her head, whispering ever so lightly in the corner of her thoughts.

Mae couldn't even make out the words, but she knew what they wanted her to do, could feel it from the tips of her toes to the pit of her stomach, which was cramping badly.

Wincing in pain Mae tried to push herself into the wall behind her, finding it impossible to get any closer due to the heavy weight and bulky addition of her demonic wings.

* * *

Vincent heard the pop of one of the joints in her wing as she pressed it into the rock face behind her and moved away whispering soothingly to her that he wasn't going to hurt her. He watched her chest rise and fall in quick movements, slowing slightly as he increased the distance between them. Chaos whispered in his mind, pointing out the extended fangs, elongated nails jutting out from her fingertips and the labored breathing.

Suddenly Vincent understood. She was hungry. She needed to feed.

* * *

Mae's trembling stilled when she saw Vincent's eyes widen. Her initial reaction was that he feared her. The thought of him fearing her, sent a stab of pain directly through her heart, but she swallowed it. If he feared her, maybe he would leave. She had almost convinced herself that he had come to his senses, that he was going to leave, but when his eyes closed and his brows scrunched together she quickly eliminated that thought. He was looking at her with pity. What a fool.

Vincent looked up, opening his eyes only to see Mae shaking her head slowly, her eyes pleading with him to leave, get as far away from her as possible. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she began to hyperventilate again. Her grief and self loathing closed up her throat, so although she couldn't say the words, she mouthed them over and over.

No… No, no, no, no, no. Please, no.

Vincent felt his heart break at the pathetic noises issuing from her throat; even more so when she started to cry. But still he moved forward.

Her nails dug into the rock and she pressed against her wings which flailed under the abused, scraping and tearing themselves on the rock. Vincent lunged forward, seizing them and pinned them to the flat of the rock. Knowing that would not be enough he called on Chaos and felt his own wings breaking through the skin of his back. They shifted through lightly and Vincent was able to use them to subdue Mae's while he pinned her arms to her side and drug her out from the cramped alcove.

She cried out and kicked and scratched and slammed her head into him. He was expecting this, and did not allow it to faze him. What he didn't expect was the sharp pain in his neck.

Vincent cried out in shock and fell to one knee, Mae following him. He lost his grip on her arms and hers jolted out to clamp down onto his shoulders, her nails slicing through his shirt into his flesh. Vincent did not fight her, but held still, slowing his breathing and making no sudden moves. Her teeth were locked into his neck.

After a moment he noticed that aside from the initial sting, he felt no pain. She had bitten him, but she was not drawing any blood. As a matter of fact, it seemed almost as if she were trying to keep him from bleeding. Though her grip on him was like iron, he could feel the small tremors coming from her delicate frame, even though she had tried to scoot the rest of her body as far away from him as possible.

"Mae…?" The hold on his neck tightened, giving him a warning squeeze before loosening again. He grunted in pain, but refused to acknowledge the silent order. His hands slowly reached from his side to Mae's arms. She whimpered and tensed up, digging her claws further into Vincent's skin. Her wings hung limply from her back, her mind unable to comprehend the muscle control to move them. They jerked when Vincent lovingly ran his fingers up her arm to her face, huddled into the crook of his neck.

Vincent extended his wings out behind him, blocking the piercing rays of the morning sun and Mae's shivering increased in magnitude. Her tears ran down her cheeks and onto the warm skin of Vincent's hands.

* * *

Mae felt her heart burning in her chest. She couldn't resist the urge much longer. She had used her tongue to plug up the bite wounds in Vincent's neck, willing them not to bleed, but the taste was strong on her senses and with every breath she could smell the delicious scent coming off of Vincent. She could feel the blood coursing through the veins in his strong neck and hear the pulsing steady beat of his heart in her ears.

Even her guilt for biting him was fading into the red hunger. She felt remorse now, but not the gut wrenching sorrow that had plagued her senses before. The self loathing was already gone. She couldn't even remember why she didn't want to bite him in the first place, she just knew that she hadn't wanted to, but the reason as to why this thought even existed had long since been removed by the silky chill of the presence in her mind.

It was talking to her, singing to her, telling her that everything was ok, that her body would stop hurting if she just allowed herself to indulge. It argued that the warm body wasn't resisting, that it was offering it to her; it wanted her to take it. Suddenly Mae couldn't remember who it was that was above her. Panic lit her system and once again she started to tremble.

* * *

Mae's trembling had slowed, almost stopped, her body relaxing under the smooth touch of his fingers on the silky skin of her face, but all too suddenly they started up again. He moved his ministrations back down to her arms and allowed his one hand to move up to her head, combing his fingers through her hair, petting her softly, whispering soothing words to her, letting her know he was ok, that she was ok.

* * *

Mae felt warmth spread over from her face to her arms. Almost instantly she relaxed her hold on the warm body in front of her. She felt all of the tension leave her shoulders as one of the sources of warmth, a hand, she thought, moved up to her head and smoothed over the tangle of blood matted curls there. A low din invaded her senses, moving up and down ever so delicately. A familiar voice whispered in her head, _Vincent._

She sighed, remembering the name and the face and voice and presence associated with it, unconsciously relaxing her tongue, which allowed the first bit of blood to slide ever so sweetly into her mouth. Ignoring the taste, even as intoxicating as it was, in favor of the memories and sound of the voice above her, Mae drank slowly, carefully.

* * *

Vincent felt the pressure on his neck slowly abate and gasped when a wave of heat and pleasure hit him. Mae was drinking from him. He felt Chaos growl triumphantly in his head, and did his best to ignore the waves of sensation rolling over him. He kept up his mantra of soothing words for Mae's sake, his mind fogged and distant.

He didn't even notice it when Cid and Cloud ran into the clearing.

**:: Hey guess what?**

**CLIFFY! Lmao! Sorry, but all of my faithful readers should be expecting this by now. I hardly EVER end without a cliff hanger.**

**Reno: *mumbles* I'd like to hang her off a cliff...**

**Me: What was that? *is holding stolen tranquilizer guns***

**Reno: Nothing!**

**Vincent: *eating pixie sticks***

**Me: Hey... those are mine ...**

**Vincent: *growls***

**Me: O.O Uh... Ima go over here now... *inches away clutching tranquilizer guns***


	21. Of Demons and Blood

**::Hey guys. I'm really sorry for taking so long to post this next chapter and apologize for how short it is, but I've been unbelievably sick for a while now and the medicine they have me on, I swear, is worse then what they are curing. Dizziness, fatigue, muscle tension, nausea, shortness of breath, and so on. Needless to say I haven't been getting much sleep because every time I lay down it feels like the room is spinning, and all of my time is spent either doing homework for classes, preparing for finals or trying to catch a moment of sleep.**

**Not to mention my stress level has been really high lately. My boyfriend's car has been failing in more ways then one, and he has to drive 45 minutes everyday to campus. The one day his tire blew out, and this friday his right front tire fell off and the axel broke. So I have of course gotten these calls at inopportune times, like when I'm feeling semi good, and then I get worried and all of that tension increases the side effects of my medicine ten fold and I feel like I'm going to puke my guts up. It's not really behaving right now, and I didn't get ANY sleep last night, but I figured that I owed you guys something.**

**I promise you that once Finals are done I'll be updating regularly again!**

**Luna of the Black Moon- Thanks for your continued support *watches Vinnie run by being chased by cerberus* O.o**

**SweetxPandemonium- Sorry to make you wait! I've had alot going on. I can't promise anything for a while, but once I get on break around Dec 12th I should be putting out chapters every 3 or 4 days again.**

**MemoryStillHauntsMe- Thanks!**

**dreamer-girl-reana- *looks at broken tranquilizer gun and Cerberus chasing Vincent* I don't think that'll be a problem XD**

**Shona-Chan- O.o *backs away slowly***

**Cori Rain- Wow you got sick too? Guess it must be the season -.-' So yeah, since you know what it's like to be sick, you can forgive me for not putting out this chapter so soon right?**

**_Disclaimer: _I do not own the Final Fantasy. I own all the original characters, all the original story lines ideas and such, and all your soulz XD.**

**Chapter 21**

Cloud slowed, unsure of how to react to the situation in front of him. Cid, out of breath and oblivious, didn't see him stop. He ran into him and fell flat on his ass. Cloud quickly bent down and covered the pilot's mouth before the loud string of curses could bring attention to them. Lifting a finger in his lips to quell Cid's comments, he pointed out the couple sitting not to far from them.

Cid's anger was forgotten and his mouth sagged open in surprise allowing his cigarette to fall to the ground.

At first it looked as if Mae and Vincent were in a sweet embrace, but then details came into focus. Demonic wings spread out from both members of the pair, and blood surrounded them, leaking from both warm bodies. While Mae's wounds were to be expected, with the absence of Reixez, Vincent's were not. It didn't help that the only blood visible on him, was the small trail leaking down the side of his exposed neck… right where Mae's head was.

At first Cid thought that it was Mae's blood, leaking from a wound on her face, but her face was turned in, and Vincent's eyes were scrunched close, as if in pain. The only conclusion he could come to was that Mae wasn't Mae anymore. She had become a demon, just like Red said she would, and Vincent was to be her first victim.

Hating himself for even thinking it, but being able to come to no other conclusion, Cid leapt into action.

Cloud's eyes widened and he reached out for Cid, willing him to stop with his mind, his lips unable to form the words, but the wily pilot was to fast for him.

Cid's heart ached at his mind's decision, but as he sped towards the pair, he quickly steeled it against what must be done. With a fierce cry he raised his spear, feeling its weight, seemingly heavier then ever before.

* * *

Mae moved her head back from Vincent, still tasting his warm blood on her tongue. Her senses were filled with him, even as she pulled back, her body screamed for more of that delicious nectar, but her mind and heart would hear none of it. She had control of them again. The icy presence in her mind screamed at her, prodding her mercilessly, but Mae was filled with disgust at herself, and did not want to hear the filthy lies of the demon.

It was all too soon that a fierce cry broke through her thoughts of loathing and the warmth surrounding her. Mae jerked her head towards the yell and saw Cid towering above her, his eyes sad and his spear high. Her stomach, so enthusiastic only moments ago, shrank away in fear, and her heart froze over in shock and betrayal.

But then an icy thought hit her.

_Betrayal… you have a lot of nerve. After all, who's the demon now?_

* * *

Cid's heart stopped as Mae turned towards him, her eyes wide, innocent, blue saucers. The pain in them stabbed at his heart, and he almost halted his thrust.

"CID!" Cloud's voice cut through Cid's mind. He felt his spear grow heavier, slower, and then… hit the ground. Unsure what to make of this, Cid stared at the spot where Mae had been only moments ago.

A rough hand clasped down on his shoulder and Cloud was at his side, staring wide eyed at something in front of them. Cid didn't want to look, but forced himself to turn his head anyway.

Vincent stood strong and tall, his red eyes littered with flecks of gold, his canines extended, teeth bared and wings spread full length. Chaos roared in his head, but Vincent refused to let him take control. The demon would rip Cid and Cloud apart if he got a hold over Vincent's body.

A low warning growl escaped his throat. He didn't want to scare them, or think him even more of a freak, but he would be damned if he was gonna let them take Mae away from him after all the shit he'd just gone through to get her back again.

Mae was sitting on her bum, legs splayed out before her, looking at Cid and Cloud with a dazed expression. There was a bit of blood trailing from her bottom lip to her chin, and her hair was falling in her face again. She looked like a small child next to the huge wings sprouting from her back. They were tucked up against her back, the tips laid out to the side on the ground, to long to be folded comfortably behind her back.

Vincent's growl startled Mae out of her daze and the icy chill in her mind sent out a sweet coo in response. To her surprise Vincent turned to her in response to the sound and hummed low in his throat. Her demon was communicating with his.

* * *

"Vincent…?" Cloud said shakily. He had tried to sound threatening, or at least unafraid, but his voice failed him. Vincent turned from Mae to look at him and Cid, whose mouth had fallen open again.

"Goddamnit Cid!"

The pilot jumped, and then tried to play it off, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Vincent didn't sound angry, just agitated. This put the pilot at ease and he lit his cigarette, his hands steady.

"What did you expect me to think?" he said testily. "She was biting your neck!" Vincent sighed and rubbed his temple. "And what with Red getting all worked up and calling her a demon, then her showing up with wings, and… aw, what the hell… I didn't know what was going on!"

"We still don't," Cloud said eyeing Mae's wings warily. His gaze darted up to Vincent, who sighed and closed his eyes. Within seconds his wings had disappeared and his teeth had shrunk back to normal size.

Mae watched this process. She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. The icy chill in her mind twitched impatiently, and moved away from Mae's curious touch. She sent out tendrils of thought, at first asking it to pull back, then asking it to help her get rid of the wings on her back. Finally she got frustrated and tried to force it into submission, which only earned her a blast of cold pain.

Mae opened her eyes and bit her lip. It felt like she had just tried to drink three ice cold smoothies in one go. Vincent noticed her pain and gently laid his hand on her forehead. The pain abated and Mae felt herself relax again. She went to close her mouth, but the fangs touched her lip, and fearful that she would cut herself, she relaxed her jaw again.

Vincent smiled at her, his eyes warm. Even though she wanted nothing more then to smack that smile off his face then crawl under the nearest rock, she couldn't help the warmth that crawled up into her chest and settled there.

"Vincent…" Cloud's voice was stronger now, hard and questioning. Mae lowered her head, ashamed of what she had become, feeling like a scorned child, a freak, a disappointment. Vincent frowned at this, his eyes still on Mae's face, willing her to look at him.

"What?" Vincent's voice was just as hard. Cloud's eyes pierced through him straight to Mae. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was looking at her.

"What is going on? Why does Mae have wings? Where is Reixez?" Vincent sighed, giving up on his efforts to make eye contact with Mae, and stood. Cloud brought his gaze to Vincent's weary one.

"I don't know exactly what happened, and I don't know where Reixez is, all I know is he is not here, not anymore. He has moved on it seems." Vincent paused, looking back at Mae, who was staring at the ground. "Mae… has a demon in her now."

Mae flinched at the casual way he said it. Demon… she was a demon now… Her face burned and she felt the tears well up in her eyes again, burning them, making her feel like her head was going to explode. _At this point_, she thought, _that would be merciful._

"So she is a demon then," Cloud said hollowly. "Just like Red said…" Vincent scowled.

"Am I a demon then too?" Cloud flinched at the anger in his voice. Cid calmly puffed on his cigarette. "Or have you forgotten that I too house a demon in my body?"

Cid flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette. "So she's like you now? Just possessed is all?" Vincent lost a hold on his anger at the casual tone of voice Cid had adopted. It was as if he was talking about tea instead of demonic possession.

"Yes."

Cid put his hands in his pockets and started walking back the way they came.

"Wh… where are you going?" Cloud asked, his blue eyes the picture of confusion.

"I'm going back to town to check on Tifa and keep an eye on more important matters." He waved off Cloud's half assed questions and kept walking. Vincent, a bit surprised and puzzled at Cid's actions himself, stayed put. Cloud looked back, then ran after the pilot, mumbling about crazy old men.

Vincent watched them disappear into the wreck of a mountain side and began to laugh, just softly at first, but it soon grew to full on hysterical laughter.

Mae, still on the ground, watched him with growing concern. Maybe she wasn't the one Cloud should be worried about. After a moment she reached out and placed her hand lightly on his leg.

"Vincent…?" The laughter died down. Mae removed her hand and sat back. Vincent slowly turned around, all traces of the laughter gone. Worry and fear crept up Mae's spine, but it didn't last long as Vincent saw fit to practically throw himself on her.

A muffled cry of surprise was all Mae had time to get out before Vincent's lips were on hers and his hands were running up and down her back. Heat and sensation erupted all over her body, clouding her senses. The aches and pains all over her body were forgotten, her fear and worry and self loathing were forgotten. All that was left was Vincent; his warmth, his touch, his taste, his scent and his deep soothing voice.

So caught up in the sensations Mae didn't even noticed it when her canines retracted to their normal state, followed by her wings. The transition wasn't painless, but Mae didn't even notice the burning sensation on her back. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. She wrapped her arms around Vincent's strong neck and ran her fingers through his hair.

Her hands moved through the silky blanket until they reached smooth warm flesh, and she explored further. As her touch reached his shoulder blades, Vincent bit down on her earlobe, causing her to squeeze slightly.

A pained grunt broke through the haze around Mae's mind and she felt her hand slide over Vincent's shoulders. They were wet and slick. She pulled back and was horrified to find both his shoulders and her hands covered in blood.

* * *

**::What can I say? You can't expect any more then cliffies from me :) , even though I try not to end at a cliff hanger sometimes, it just doesn't seem to work. But don't worry! The next chapter may be long in coming, but I do plan to have a few things in there that will make you guys happy. It will be long, it will NOT have a cliff hanger (if I remember lol) and it should include less negative stuff (i.e. no violence that you guys don't like) and more happy stuff (like flowers!).**

**Bleh. I would write more but my insides feel like their spilling out so ima call it a night.::**


	22. Ice and Mist

**:: Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long to get this chapter to you. My computer got a virus ****I'm on my mac right now. I had to transfer all of my files from my dell to my Mac and in doing so, NOT transfer that stupid virus. I can't get it off my dell and now I have to wipe it clean therefore losing all data on it. I was able to salvage my stories, thank god, but it took me a long time, not to mention I don't have internet where I'm living right now. I'm at a friend's house right now, so I have connection, so this is the update I can give with the limited amount of time. This is the chapter I promised you!**

**Thank you for putting up with my technical problems. I can't tell you when I will be able to upload the next chapter but hopefully it will be soon.**

**SweetxPandemonium – **I know this is a bit late but, I hope you feel better! Lol being sick sucks ass big time. Thanks for the cup cake!

**dreamer-girl-reana** – Thanks XD

**MemoryStillHauntsMe** – Hehehe eeeevil cliff hangers Muahahahahaha! ***Coughs*** ok I'm done now XD

**Cori Rain **– Man -.- that bites. Once again, I know I'm being late with this, but I hope you feel better . I'm glad my writing was able to distract you from your injury XD

**Alexis4** – I'm originaaaaallllll XD runs around in circles and then tackles Vincent

Vincent: O.o Crazy woman…

**Nyx Cross **– Ur so violent O.o Lol. Don't kill Reixez ok, you can torture him, just don't kill him. I need him for the story! Lol. Without him there is no bad guy .

**Chapter 22**

Mae flung herself from Vincent, her eyes wide and scared. Vincent reached for her to assure her that he was ok, but Mae shook her head and backed away. She was ashamed.

Vincent let his canines extend and moved towards her again.

Mae felt fear claw at her gut, but the new presence in her mind sung a sweet siren song and warmed her chest. She stayed put, letting him get close, so close she could feel his breath, warm and moist on her neck.

She sucked it a breath when his lips brushed lightly against the skin there. It sent a thrill through her that ran all the ways to her toes. She knew she was flirting with danger. Vincent's fangs were extended and they were much larger looking then hers had felt.

"Mae…" he breathed, his voice deep, husky. The delicate body he had artfully pinned beneath him shivered at the low rumble.

Mae felt her breath come faster and her heart began to race. Her senses were all intensified, she could hear her heart beat in her ears, but she could also hear Vincent's beating. She could _feel_ it. It was thumping in time with her own, loud and strong. The feeling of him dominating her, covering her entirely, his scent, his warmth, his raw power, made her feel both threatened and completely safe.

She could feel the softness of his hair falling from his shoulders and tickling her face, smooth like silk. Could smell the spicy scent of his cologne mixed with the scent of sweat and skin, an intoxicating tonic that made her drunk with mixed feelings.

"Do not be ashamed…" his voice broke through the reverie her thoughts of him had created. She felt a waved of fear, then anger, regret, pain and finally submission. She lay back against the hard dry earth and turned her head into the satin curtain to avoid looking at his eyes.

If she looking into his eyes she would lose what composure she had, and she'd done enough crying for one day.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of…" Vincent continued on, aware of her pain, yet pretending to be oblivious to it. She needed to know that it was ok.

Each time he spoke she wanted to believe every word he said, but found herself unable to, denied that luxury. She was tainted; a demon, and she had taken lifeblood from him in a selfish act of ravenous hunger. She hadn't thought about whether or not it would hurt him, hadn't wanted to stop when she knew she should because she'd had the horrible desire to drain him dry.

"… the demon not you."

Huh? The demon? It may be the demon, but she was the one unable to resist it.

"You will learn to control it in time, but you will still need blood to sustain yourself from now on…"

"I'll…" she stopped when her voice broke and cleared her throat, trying to hide the tears she was choking back. She had never felt so pathetically weak in her life. Even after those she loved died she had never felt this low, weak and disgusting. "I'll still need to drink blood?"

Vincent heard the crack in her voice and winced. He was trying to be strong for her, soothe her, but letting her see his pain at her situation would only worry her more. He nuzzled her neck and moved to her tear streaked cheek.

"Yes. At first you will need a good amount, but once you get control over your demon you will be able to go longer without a drink of it."

Mae sucked in a breath and willed her emotions back under her control.

"How long?"

"Between now and your next time?"

Mae nodded.

"About a day or two." He realized how bad that sounded to her and felt a lash across his heart when the tension I her face returned. She was trying not to cry. "But…" he said trying to ease her pain, "each time you feed you will be able to go longer before needing to drink again."

This seemed to ease her a bit. The tension left her shoulders and slowly drained from her face. Vincent had not yet met her eyes. He didn't want to see the pain reflected in their deep aqua depths.

He breathed a sigh of relief. The less worked up se was, the less control the demon had over her. The demon would be able to take control over her emotions and manipulate them if she got to worked up. IT would make it to easy for it to take control of her again.

He wanted to avoid that for as long as possible.

If the demon were to take control of her in the near future, her chance of being able to control and block the desires and thoughts of the demon. She would also be unable to harness its power or control her ability to transform. A problematic situation if she ever wanted to go out in public again.

Vincent sighed into the blood soaked raven's nest of Mae's hair. When he breathed in the salty tang of blood make his canines ache.

"Let's get you cleaned up…"

* * *

Mae slowed her breathing. She relaxed, letting all of the tension in her muscles drain into the warm water around her.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

The icy presence in her mind moved, shifted, unsettled, wary. She ignored it.

Breathe in.

She let go of her hold, relaxing even further and slipped under the calm glassy surface. The water filled her ears and sound was muted. There had been soft music in the background, old music, classical. It had been a piano song. She could not remember the name of it…

A soft voice filled her head, clear as a bell, not confined by the condensed molecules of the water.

"_Concentrate… clear your head. Think only of what you wish to do."_

Mae felt her lungs begin to burn. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to expel the frostbite in her mind and the demon that was creating it. But that is not what she needed to do, or what the voice… _his_ voice was telling her to do.

"_I can't breathe…"_ She heard the voice sigh in her head. She gently lifted herself from the water.

Breathe in.

"If you can't learn to control your thoughts you will not be able to control the demon's." Vincent sat on a chair across from the bathtub Mae was in. She was in a new tank top and a pair of shorts. She'd refused to let him in otherwise.

"I'm sorry if I have a hard time thinking about controlling thoughts when my lungs feel like they're going to burst," she said testily.

He shook his head, allowing his hair to block the frustrated smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He exhaled, and pushed down the insane urge to laugh hysterically.

"Why don't you try ignoring your body's responses to the lack of oxygen?" Mae raised her eyebrow and gave him the "have you lost your mind?" look. "Your body is different now. The only reason your lungs still hurt when you are under water for a long time is because you _think_ they should. Forget about them, forget about everything. Focus your mind on contacting your demon."

Mae propped her elbow up against the edge of the white bathtub and closed her eyes. She was frustrated. They had been doing this for way to long and her hands were beyond wrinkly.

"Remind me why I have to talk to the demon in my head again?" Mae frowned. Never thought she would ever say _that._

"You have to talk to it to determine whether or not a peaceful balance of power can be reached without you two battling over it. If you can get the demon to cooperate it will be easier on both of you."

Mae made a whiny frustrated sound and knocked her head against the hard surface of the tub. Vincent stifled his laugh with a cough. Mae glared as him, noticing his face was really red.

"Jerk," she muttered with a roll of her eyes when the laughter got louder. She smiled and chuckled. "Ok, I'll try again!" She said with mock anger. Vincent stopped laughing, but he still had a pretty big smile on his face. Mae closed her eyes to prevent herself from more laughter and took in a deep breath.

She imagined all of her humor and worry moving out with her breath. She breathed it again. This time she expelled her thoughts. Each time she did this, less and less occupied her mind. By the time her mind was empty she was completely open. Vincent masked his aura so that it wouldn't influence her and Mae began to slip under the water again.

This time she didn't allow invading thoughts to sway her attention, instead she focused on sinking into her mind as she had sunk into the water. She felt herself falling slowly into her mind. Her vision got darker, the lights from the room she was in seeming to fade, and the dulled sounds from the water grew farther and farther away.

Mae tried to stay focused on sinking into her mind, but couldn't help but get a little freaked out when she felt herself fall unusually fast. She was about to call the quits when she suddenly saw light…

* * *

Vincent watched as Mae sunk to the bottom of the tub, she was in there barely ten minutes before the he noticed some thing strange. Though her lungs were full of air, she no longer had to hold herself under the water. She sunk to the bottom. When she hit the base of the tub the steam stopped rising from the water.

Curious, Vincent dipped his hand into the water and felt it rapidly change temperature. He quickly jerked his hand back when a light sheen of frost wove its way across the surface.

"Mae!" Vincent felt fear rise in him, and anger at himself for putting her in this situation. He raised his hand high bracing himself to punch through the ice and get her out before anything happened, but a commanding voice stopped him.

"**Leave her there! They meet on her terms."**

Vincent stopped short and lowered his hand, his body coiled and tense. He would not interfere. He hoped Mae fared better then he did in the exchange…

* * *

Tifa paced back and forth in front of the two beds where Yuffie and Red XIII were laying comatose. Cid sat on the edge of Yuffie's bed, smoke trailing from his cigarette. Cloud was leaning against the wall, his head bowed in thought.

Tifa continued to pace. Getting anxious himself, he reached out and caught her by the arm. He gave her a look and left the room. He walked a short distance down the hall to the second door on the left and gently knocked on the dark mahogany wood. It was old, scratched and beaten, but still strong, the wood solid against his knuckles. It gave a deep resounding sound when he knocked on it.

"Yes?" Vincent's muffled voice answered. Cloud frowned.

"How are things going?"

Vincent had told them of his plans to help Mae get control, but he didn't say how, or how effective his methods would be. Both of them had been covered in blood when they got back, most of on Mae. They had bathed separately, but Vincent insisted that they be allowed time alone so he could teach Mae how to suppress the demon.

Both Tifa and Cloud had been apprehensive, but Cid had not allowed either of them to make a fuss.

"Vincent has a demon in is head, what is so different about Mae's demon?" he'd said. Cloud couldn't argue with that. It's not like the pilot would let him anyway. Tifa had only frowned worriedly and bit her lip before beginning her ceaseless pacing.

Silence followed Cloud's question. He was about to ask again when Vincent mumbled something in reply.

"What?" he said loudly.

"Things are going fine," Vincent replied in a slightly agitated voice. "I'm going to need you to not knock or make a lot of noise ok? She needs to be able to concentrate to accomplish this…" Cloud sighed and headed back to the room.

Tifa looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head. Cid got up and mumbled something about lunch. Tifa, already back to her pacing practically ran Cid over.

"I'll make lunch!" Cid tripped over her and grabbed onto the door-frame to keep from falling over.

"Damnit woman! It's not a race!" He flicked ask into the trash-can and followed her down the hall muttering about crazy women. Cloud rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the two figures on the bed. They were still sleeping. He cast sleep on them again and went downstairs to see if he could help with lunch.

Quiet filled the room. A warm breeze blew back the curtains and kicked up a cloud of dust from the dresser tops and picture frames. The sun came out from behind the clouds and illuminated the dust particles floating in the stiff breeze. In the quiet only the light breathing of the two sleepers could be heard.

Light laughter floated down the hall, but it did not reach the room. The silence soon grew and stifled even the playful wind. The air became heavy and musty, and the sun dimmed, hiding behind the clouds one again. The covered in like a blanket, and slowed as if they had been commanded by the gods to stop.

The dust that had been blown into the air fell softly to the floor. A chill rose softly from the ground and a light mist crawled up the side of the Inn and through the window. It seeped slowly down the night stand in-between the two beds and onto the floor. As it filled the floor it slowly crawled down the hall. It hesitated right before the bathroom door where Vincent sat keeping vigil over Mae. Instead of going straight past the door, it left a 2 foot radius around it and continued towards the stairs leading down to the first floor where Cid was setting the table.

Cloud and Tifa were in the kitchen searching the cabinets for food. Cid listened to Tifa's banter and Cloud's quiet replies. Tifa yelped a little and Cid heard Cloud laughing. There were a few muffled shouts and a loud bang. Cid laughed when he heard Cloud muttering angrily. He didn't notice the mist settling at the top of the stairs…

* * *

**::CLIFFY! Come on, did you expect anything else? XD::**


	23. White Out

**::Hey everyone! I HAVE INTERNET! *runs around like an idiot* Wohoooooo! Ok, now that I got that out of my system... Sorry for the delay, tried to get this chapter to you guys sooner, but I was living at an address that had no internet... at all. Writing was the only thing keeping me sane, and you will appreciate that in the long run. I have done alot of work on this story. It is almost done, not for you guys mind you, but I got lots written I will update regularly (hopefully) with weekly or bi-weekly installments depending on my internet.**

**Thank you to all of my faithful readers! You guys are awesome!**

**Nyx Cross: You are kinda scary when you're mad O.o**

**SweetxPandemonium: Faithful protector! XD *gives u tons of cookies* the sugar should keep u awake O.o I think Nyx is gonna nix me soon if I don't stop doing cliffies...**

**.xox: Frogs? O.o Thats a new one XD. As for the cliffies, they will live on! Ya know, if you think about it, all ends of chapters are cliffies cause the story isn't over, sooooo yeah. Ummm, no excuse lol. CLIFFIES ROCK! XD As for the wardrobe business, I'm buying another lock O.o**

**Alyx: Thanks for reading my story! Its great to know that its still getting a bit of attention even though the gods of internet hate me**

**Tamara: Wow! Thanks once again for the comment and I'm glad you love the fic Here's some internet cookies to tide you over until the next chapter XD**

**Aranae: Sorry it took me so long -.-' I tried to get internet! I really did! I missed you guys and talking on AIM and Facebook and Email and 8-bit Theater comics and... well you get the idea. I will have good internet access until May people! Hopefully this fic will be done by then cause then I won't have internet again O.o OMG for the ENTIRE summer. I... I think I'm gonna cry... Naw, maybe not. I'll just commute to an area that does have it. I'll have a car! FINALLY! Lol. I am soooooo off topic O.o**

**To the fic!::**

**Chapter 23**

Mae felt the slow drift towards the light speed up exponentially and tried to scream, though her voice stuck in her throat. She fell painlessly to the ground. It seemed like a rough fall, but she didn't feel it at all. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. It felt like a dream, sluggish, yet uncontrollably fast.

There was a field of nothing that stretched out from her position. Fear settled in her chest, but was controlled. Nothing couldn't hurt her. It was unnerving and impossible, but it couldn't physically harm her. As she turned her head, something danced out of the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around, fear jolting, breath hitching in surprise, but there was nothing there.

Laughing nervously to herself, Mae stood. The air around her was cool and growing colder. As a matter of fact, the white nothingness around her wasn't so white anymore.

Another movement. Mae jumped, her whole body tense. She turned to follow the movement to late. A tinge of blue marred the pure white surrounding her. It grew colder.

Mae knew she wasn't alone.

"Hello?"

Her voice did not echo, and for that she was glad. She hated how pathetic she sounded. Mae stood up straighter, hating how vulnerable she felt and tried again, this time in a stronger voice.

"Hello?" She looked around, the tension in her body coiling in again as it got colder and more blue entered the light around her. There was another movement out of the corner of her eye, but this time she was ready for it, pushing her body towards it reaching for it with her mind.

Her fingers closed tightly, acting like a bear trap, clamping down with all the force she could muster. It wasn't enough. Her grip did not help her hold on. The slippery, silky presence moved away.

It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. Every time Mae moved, her body seemed to grow heavier, the air colder, the room darkening, sliding into a vast ocean of blue. At first it had been a welcome change from the startling white, but now it was beginning to get to dark for comfort.

Mae stopped moving, out of breath and shivering. Small warm clouds of moisture puffed quickly from her mouth, her chest heaving with the effort to get oxygen to her. Mae tried not to move, but felt her legs give out from under her and fell to the ground. It was softer then she imagined it would be, soft like clouds or satin sheets. It was chilled from the air, but grew warmer the longer she laid there.

Mae wondered if this was her mind or the demon's. It didn't seem like anything she would have constructed, but she had figured her demon would have more going on then an endless void. Maybe it was neutral ground.

Suddenly fearful, she tried to sit up. What if this was a battle over her mind and she was losing? Mae found she couldn't move. It grew darker, colder, the air harsher then ever. Although there was no wind, Mae felt as if the air around her was slowly stripping her flesh from her body. She was shaking so much she was having a hard time breathing. It didn't help that ever breath felt like she was drinking acid.

She tried to call out again, but her voice had given out on her.

Despair and fear fell on her, followed by anger and self pity. The anger seemed to warm her a little, so Mae turned herself over to it. The room did not grow darker, but it did not lighten any either.

She let the anger grow, thinking about all of her hate for Reixez, her hate for herself and all demons. Her body gained enough warmth to slow her shivering. The room did not lighten or darken. Mae closed her eyes and tried to think.

Maybe the room was triggered by emotions. Fear and uncertainty could be considered cold emotions. Anger was definitely a warm emotion, so all she had to do was think about other warm things or emotions. Right?

Well… it was worth a try.

So Mae slowed her breathing and brought up memories…

_"Hey Mae!" A small golden haired child ran down the stairs clutching a red haired doll. Her bright blue and white checkered dress flew cheerfully out behind her. She jumped the last two steps and tumbled down at Mae's feet._

_"__Hana__! Are you ok?" The golden haired child looked up at her with a big smile. She was missing her two front teeth._

_"Of course I am! I got two dollars from the tooth fairy!"_

Mae felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Silly Hana, she was always able to focus on the good things.

_"Mae!"_

_The sun was so nice today, warm on her pale skin. It slid gracefully behind a small group of fluffy white clouds, making them gold with the effort of hiding the light. While she waited for it to come back out she looked at the baby blue sky. A blue Jay landed on the fountain her mom had in the front yard and started to flick water onto its wings._

_"Mae!"_

_She ignored the insistence call for her and instead tried to approach the blue Jay. She wanted so bad to feel the soft feathers of the bird on her fingers. So she pawed her way through the cool grass, thanking the wind for providing her with a breezy day, hoping the bird wouldn't hear her approach._

_"Mae __Trilplin__ get in here now!" Mae winced at the tone in her mother's voice and then groaned when she noticed that the bird had flown away._

_"__Awww__ mom! I almost had one!" Mae walked slowly towards the door. A little bird flitted down from the tree and landed on her shoulder. It was a tiny brown bird, very plain. Mae felt her eyes grow wide with wonder and she reached out slowly to the bird to pet it. It didn't fly away, much to her amazement, but allowed her to pet it once before flying over to the fountain._

_Mae felt a smile steal over her face and ran into the house shouting for her mother and sister to tell them the news…_

Ah… The days were so simple then, the company warm… That was before the distance that separated her from her blood had settled in. Mae felt the small warmth in her chest move out to spread over her body. She was still cold, but no longer shaking. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell the room around her had lightened. It didn't not feel so dark.

_"Angie!" Mae ran and tackled her friend who was laying on her bed reading her latest book._

_"Hello __Triplin__," she said with dry amusement. Mae laughed and stole the __scrunchie__ holding Angie's hair back. "Hey!" Angie then tackled Mae and they fought over the __scrunchie__, Mae doing everything in her power to keep it out of Angie's reach, laughing the whole time. She knew that eventually she would be laughing to hard to care whether or not Angie got it back, but for the moment she contented herself with playing keep away._

_Jane walking into the room and rolled her eyes at the two friends, sitting in the computer chair in the middle of the cluttered room. She placed the very same book Angie was reading in front of her and said, "Well I guess this will give me time to catch up."_

_"__Nooooo__!" Angie shouted through her fitful giggling. Mae shot the __scrunchie__ out the open window and shouted her victory. Angie stood up and mumbled about certain people __causing trouble and keeping her from reading her book while traveling downstairs to retrieve her __scrunchie_

_Mae let the rest of her humor subside before laying down on Angie's bed and 'misplacing' her book mark. Jane laughed and went back to her book._

_"You realize she's going to get you for this right?"_

_Mae merely smiled and said, "She'll get mad and rant and complain… until she sees what I got her for her birthday." Her and Jane shared a secret smile as Angie walked back up the stairs…_

Mae felt a prick of pain at the memory of her friends, but nothing like she used to. Now there was only a warm fondness for the memories, and the same everlasting gratitude she had for them long before she lost them to Reixez and time. By the end of this memory she was thanking them again. The cold no longer assaulted her like it did. Now it felt like early morning during the fall. Only a slight chill in the air. Pleasant at first, leaving you wishing for an extra layer of clothes later. She sighed as another memory over took her.

_"Mae…"_

_That voice…_

_Mae felt the laughter over take her, warming her insides as she thought of how ridiculous it was that Vincent's mighty demon had curled up and purred like a little kitten. She heard a soft rustling and felt his gaze upon her. She turned and opened her eyes, restraining her laughter long enough to say, "Good morning sleepy head."_

_She felt her smile widen at Vincent's countenance. He looked confused and utterly lost. His eyes were wide and his expression comical. She allowed herself to soak in the sight of him, lying only a few feet away from her._

_She turned and followed the call of the morning light streaming through one of the windows. Mae closed her eyes and reveled in the warm rays, stroking her aching body, stiff from battle and sleep on a hard floor. So many thoughts engulfed her then, but all flitted away when a light touch on her cheek brought her back to earth…_

Mae felt her body burst into a passionate flame at the memory that followed that one. She opened her eyes to the cerulean world before her. She did not let the change alarm her and stood up calmly.

Across from her was the wispy form of a woman standing amidst a crystal world. Mae watched at the crystal shifted and took the color and shape of a garden. At first it was normal, a few flowers here and there, but they kept sprouting up and up and up and then she watched them grow until the stalks were as thick as a tree and taller then her eyes could see.

It was strange, but for a reason she could not place, it did not alarm her. The woman did not move as the crystal melted and fell down around them pooling at her feet and then shooting up into the sky and exploding to form a rough cavern over then. More flowers grew out of the rock impression, but unlike the ones that came before they were small and unchanging, stiff and shiny like glass. They were solid yet transparent and Mae had the sudden urge to touch them, to see if they were really as frail and smooth as they looked.

The woman cloaked in white turned slowly, smoothly, moving gracefully, floating like air. She was captivating, radiant, yet covered in shadow, whole yet not completely there, her body thin and breakable, yet the aura that surrounded her was so powerful that Mae could feel the weight of the power restrict her movement.

Her hair was white like the rapids, falling to her feet and then dissolving into air. It moved, as if it were falling like water, and yet it was always there. Her skin was pale; pale beyond measure, and yet it had a bit of warmth and color in her cheeks. Her hands were thin and her fingers long and inhuman. There was a piece of cloth around her eyes and a strange marking on her forehead that Mae could not place.

Mae found that she could not look away from the splendor of the demon. She had seen her in her mind, but here she looked different, sharper, in focus, not like the shimmering blur she had shied away from.

"Human…" The voice reached her loud and clear, even though the lips of the demon did not move.

The power in the room fluctuated and Mae found herself reacting on instinct. She lifted her arms as if to protect herself and immediately the weight of the demon's power lifted from her. She breathed in, taking in the air she no longer had to fight for. The demon did not seem to notice, or maybe she did not care.

Time seemed to move sluggishly for a few moments while Mae waited for the demon to begin talking again. She didn't. Mae felt her body temperature drop when a nervous fear began to gnaw at her. Taking a moment to picture Vincent's face she lowered her arms and steeled herself again the fear. She had to begin the conversation it seemed.

* * *

**:: Well its a cliffy but not a BAD cliffy... And I'll have the next chapter for you on Saturday or Sunday next week! It depends on what day I remember to get my lazy ass online. Once again, thank you for putting up with my lame excuses and those of you who have been with me since the beginning are the best. Truly ::**


	24. Of Flowers and Crystal

**::I'm on time! (for once) Lol. I got bored so I'm posting this chapter earlier then I planned Bet you guys are glad to hear that! XD The only bad thing is I think I'm coming down with a cold O.o My nose won't stop running and I can't stop sneezing. Hopefully it will stop tomorrow and be a one day thing. That would be nice**

**Flarire - Lol, sorry I took so long to update! Yeah, definitely NOT Lucrecia this time. We left her behind what seems like forever ago, although I may or may not bring her back into the story. I'm debating over it. I'll make sure you don't forget this story again for a while Thanks for continuing to read!**

**SweetxPandemonium - Haha, glad you like the cookies I'm even more happy to hear you think my little story is worth my inability to put out chapters regularly XD**

**Cori Rain - I'm not quite sure what you mean by confused... Let me know what I can clarify for you ok!**

**.xox - O.o Woooooo! No threats of death by aminals! (I spelled that wrong on purpose *munches on cookies*) Yeaaah, I figured I'd go easy on the cliffy this time around, glad you didn't get confused! Lol. I don't see what's confusing... Maybe its just cause my mind makes sense to only me O.o**

**Luna of the Black Moon - Why were you under a Christmas tree? O.o Glad you had three chapters to keep you entertained You didn't have to wait like the others, you stocked up! Lol.**

**Aranae - Glad you like the cliffies! As for the sequel to your story, I will eventually take a look at it, but I don't know when. I have a billion (ok maybe not that much...) things to do for my new classes. I took 2 lit classes O.o I fear for my fingers lol. On the first day of class my teacher took out one of the 9 books assigned for the class and said, "Ok class, I want you to read this by thursday. Its only 150 pages, you should be fine." It was Tuesday, but I was confident that I could knock out 150 pages easy. So I went to my next class. This teacher had a mustache like colonel Sanders XD. "I'm only going to assign one thing since its your first day, read the foreword, the introduction and the first 2 chapters of this book *holds up book*. Its only 145 pages, so you should be able to finish it no problem." This wouldn't be a problem, if I didn't have 3 classes the next day that were all sure to have hw. And they did. More reading. Ugh. Lol.**

**Nameless-Sinner - My story is worth putting off sleep for! Yay!**

**Well I won't bore you with any more chatter. To the story!::**

**Chapter 24**

"Who are you?" she asked in the strongest voice she could manage. To bad her voice broke at the end. The demon did not smile wickedly like she thought, nor did it attack her for her weakness, instead it merely tilted its head to the side.

Mae once again waited for it to speak. Nothing happened. Mae was starting to get frustrated when the demon floated towards her. She saw it pass through what looked to be a barrier and then stop.

"It seems you have a clever instinct my dear. The barrier you erected is indeed a masterpiece for one so inexperienced."

Mae felt her jaw drop at the amused voice of the demon. It was a soft voice, sure of itself, confident and feminine. It reeked of power. Though the demon could not see her it smiled at her reaction. Mae felt herself shiver. This was too weird. She was inside her own head talking to a demon that couldn't see or talk, but could communicate perfectly well and _sense_ her reactions.

Mae consciously closed her mouth and closed her eyes, envisioning her human family and the normal life they used to life. She opened her eyes to see the smile gone from the demon's face and a faint wrinkle of concentration over her brow.

"Um… Thank you?" Mae tried.

The wrinkle on the demon's forehead grew more pronounced. She descended to the ground, one of its delicate hands lifting the robe to reveal bare feet. It had been floating above the ground.

Though still tall in appearance, Mae felt that the decrease in the demon's height was a good thing. It made her feel less intimidated.

"The memories flitting around you are so cold, full of fear and pain and death and yet you stand before me, full of warmth. Why is that?" Mae was taken aback at the question.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I just thought of some of the good memories and I felt my body grow warm…" The demon tilted its head and started to pace, circling Mae.

"I do not understand… You have experienced nothing but pain your entire life, having all of the warmth taken from you and yet you still managed to hold onto life and hope even though you know it is futile… How can you be so foolish? Most humans would have frozen their heart and feelings by now."

Mae frowned. She wasn't sure what the demon was getting at. Her life had been hard, sure, but there had been good times, and the reason she kept herself alive was so that Reixez wouldn't go off and torment some other hapless family. She also dreamed of possibly getting revenge and finding her long lost friends again.

The demon stopped her pacing and turned towards Mae.

"So it seems you have found reasons to keep on living…"

Mae felt the blood drain from her face; she hadn't said any of that out loud.

"… and that is why you still hold warmth to your spirit and body, even though it makes the pain when it comes that much worse. I admire you human, you may be foolish, but you have a strong spirit."

Mae, still in shock that the demon had picked through her memories and was now picking through her thoughts, was unsure of how to react to the sudden praise visited upon her from the demon. She had expected to hate this entity, to despise every word that dripped from its tongue and not trust a word it said, and instead she felt her spirit grow in response to its off-handed praise.

She felt her mouth open and close a few times before she managed to say anything. She decided to be diplomatic about this and steadied her body and mind.

"I thank you demon, that you feel inclined to offer me such a generous compliment." The demon's mouth curled upward at the remark.

"You are very welcome." It reached out and the crystal molded a chair out of the floor, drawing it up under it and sat down, folding its hands on its lap and adjusting its robe ever so slightly.

Mae gawked. The demon was placing itself lower then her. She knew that height meant power and that the demon placing itself lower then Mae was a sign of respect and possibly even a sign that the demon found her to be dominant to it.

"It seems we are stuck at an impasse," the demon said with a sigh. Mae got a hold of herself.

"What do you mean?" The demon brushed its fingers along the blindingly white cloak it wore and pulled a stray piece of hair back, folding it neatly behind its ear. Mae tried not to stare at the pointed tip and the dazzling twin hoops that decorated it.

"I mean that no matter what either of us wants, we are stuck with each other for eternity thanks to the meddling of the vessel for Destruction."

"Vessel for Destruction?" Mae felt the word roll off her tongue. _Could it mean…?_

"The vile human housing the horned demon Destruction."

Mae felt her mouth go dry and her mind, deciding to be oh so helpful, pulled up the memory of Reixez standing over her in his demon form, those wickedly sharp horns inches from her skin. She even remembered the scent of death and blood that hung around him like a disease.

"I see you know him," the demon said. Mae shuddered.

"Unfortunately. He has been hunting me for years…" The demon frowned at this.

"He is the one causing the chill in your spirit yes?"

Mae wouldn't describe him as a "chill in her spirit", but knowing what the demon was getting at, she simply nodded. The demon shifted, crossing its legs and adjusting the crystal beneath it.

Mae was astounded at how human the demon woman appeared with those few simple movements. She was almost tempted to forget that it was a demon, born of no woman's flesh, but of blood and hate and vengeful spirits.

"I am a fallen god, child," the demon said absently. "Just like all of the other demons. No vengeful spirit bore me. I am as old as time itself." Mae felt a strange mix of shame at being caught and anger that the demon could so easily access her thoughts.

"Will you help me fight him?" Mae asked, her anger fueling her strength. The demon turned her head back to Mae and smiled, revealing a mouth full of too many teeth, all sharp and deadly. Mae's resolve wavered and a spike of fear entered through her heart.

"The bastard stole me from my previous companion and took me from my home of ice and mist. I am very upset about this," she said playing with a silky strand of hair. "I have found you worthy of my strength. Not many humans would have lived as long as you, even if he was only playing around."

Mae steadied herself and slowed her breathing, pushing away the fear. It seemed as if the demon was going to be peacefully about this.

"I have a few conditions though."

This stopped Mae's peaceful thoughts.

"Conditions?" she asked warily. The demon inclined its head.

"My previous host bore a mark that symbolized they were mine." Mae felt anger sweep through her.

"I bare enough marks," she said lifting her shirt to reveal the circle carved into her skin. She then boldly walked up to the demon and grabbed it's hand, placing it on the raised skin. The hand felt like dry ice to her skin and Mae winced, but stayed still as the demon felt along her skin. She then turned to let the demon feel the scar that ran from her navel to her shoulder.

"Very well then, I will ask no marks from you," it said pulling its hands back. Mae did not displace the awe and, was that sympathy? In the demons voice. Mae felt her anger ebb as she retreated to her previous distance from the demon.

"Thank you," she said simply. The demon inclined its head once again.

"Instead of a mark, since you already bare them, I will ask you to let me alter your aura and abilities."

Mae quickly thought about it, trying to find anything that could possibly harm or hinder her from allowing the demon to do this. When she found none she slowly breathed in and said, "Alright."

"Very well."

The demon raised one of those frozen hands and Mae felt her world tilt. She let out a startled gasp and fell to the floor. Her legs had suddenly become like putty and her arms followed soon after. Mae laid on the smooth cold surface of the crystal and tried not to vomit. It felt like there were hands all over her, touching and feeling and pulling all that was her away.

She let out a sickened moan as the demon tore away her aura and replaced it with a new one. The air around Mae became still and she felt the new energy settle in around her. It was warm like hers had been, but it felt alien to her. She had never thought that she could feel her _self_ before, but now she knew the difference and she wanted her old aura back.

It felt the same way to her as when a strange person decided to stand to close. An invitation of personal space. Except this invasion would never end. Mae felt a tiny bit of despair at this thought, but pushed it away. It would become normal after a while.

Mae steeled herself incase the vertigo and nausea came back and stood up. Thankfully her legs caught and held her, though they were a bit wobbly at first. Her head felt light and her body heavy, but the feeling passed.

"I have replaced your aura. In time it will sink into your skin and you will gain new abilities. Your body will become stronger, faster, more durable, and you will be able to do things that were previously impossible."

Mae tried to say something to the demon, to let her know she understood, to ask it about the side effects, but when she opened her mouth, the sudden urge to vomit over took her. Mae covered her mouth with her hand and immediately knelt and put her head between her knees.

"The feeling of nausea will eventually pass," the demon said waving her hand impatiently.

"The next thing I would ask of you is that I take liberty of freedom on one day a month, preferably on the full moon."

Mae lifted her head to look at the demon. _What is with demons and the full moon?_

"It is the day of the month when we are most powerful. The pull of Luna on the earth allows us to borrow more energy from the lifestream then normal."

_Luna?_ Mae thought, hoping the demon would explain. It seemed to hear her thoughts pretty loud and clear. But, to her surprise the demon ignored the unspoken question.

"This is the lat thing I request of you," the demon said, standing up. "I ask that you allow me full rights to wander your mind and memories as well as access to your senses and thoughts."

Mae felt her skin bristle in outrage. She did _not_ want to share her thoughts and memories with a demon. The demon must surely have sensed her reaction, but did not move or say anything. Apparently Mae had to express her outrage vocally this time.

Thankfully her anger had chased away the nausea and she stood up, opening her mouth to tell the demon just where it could put its request. A thought, small and fleeting stopped her.

The demon knew about Reixez already, had read her thoughts while she was here. Was this just a test to see if Mae would react badly? The demon could already access the things it was asking for, of that Mae was certain. It had already done so, showing disapproval in the back of her mind when she had first escaped Reixez's clutches. It also knew her past history, though not all of it; apparently the demon had held back a bit, waiting for this meeting between them.

It had taken enough to know the situation, to meet with Mae fairly.

Mae hated to admit it, but she was grateful to the demon for that, and respected it for it discretion as well. She sighed and felt her anger leave her. She was going to live out the rest of her life with the demon inside her head, inside her body. She might as well make it happy so that there wasn't a constant fight for dominance over her mind. That could be very distracting in a battle.

"You have my permission."

The demon smiled.

* * *

**:: Sorry, couldn't help myself XD**

**Vincent: *rolls eyes***

**Reno: *lying incapacitated on the floor next to a bottle of Goldschlogger***

**Me: O.o ::**


	25. Rot with Age

**::I know you guys prolly don't wanna hear about all this, but I need to rant to someone other then my boyfriend. You don't have to read this or respond...**

**I can't even begin to go through everything that has happened recently to me. I swear to god I can't get anything done! I have so much homework that I have not played video-games all semester, have not been able to read a book NOT assigned by my classes, and haven't been able to even get on the internet.**

**I used to go on Facebook every day, I haven't been on in forever. I haven't worked on this story AT ALL because I've had to read a minimum of 200 pages a day, sometimes more for my classes. I have 16 books for my 4 classes this semester, and my teachers are determined to make me read every word of them. My brain feels like someone stole it, hit it with a meat tenderizer a few hundred times then stepped all over it for good measure.**

**Not to mention that the weekends I've spent cleaning my grandma's house who was just re-diagnosed with Cancer, and this time its not just in her breasts and my other grandma's house who is now nervous thinking she's gonna get HER Cancer back.**

**Sooooo yeah. This is a 5 minute update. I didn't go over this chapter like I normally do because I have a 2000 page paper that is due on Tuesday and two 10 page papers that I have to get legitimate starts on for inspection by Monday so forgive me for any mistakes!**

**Flarire - I'll give the demon a name soon I'll slip it in after things calm down.**

**Aranae - I'll try to update soon, but I can't make any promises. My life has been really tough recently and very busy. Heck, when I get a day off from school and the work involved with it I usually sleep O.o**

**SweetxPandemonium - I'm glad you think my story is good enough to put up with never updating on time! lol. As for the demon thing, she'll just have to get used to it. Hell, Vincent did!**

**Cori Rain - Metaphorical? I may use colorful comparisons, but nothing more then simple language that isn't always literal to give a good push to one's imagination and make my writing more picturesque. *looks at the onion* wtf? Onion? O.o lol**

**.xox - Why am I getting meds shoved down my throat? O.o And if u wanna gimme antioxidant stuff gimme green tea Arizona Green Tea *drools* yum XD Kitten? Evil kitten of sneezy death? o.O I am being worshiped? Wow I uh... dunno what to say, lol**

**Luna of the Black Moon - Thanks for sticking with my story! As for the demon being Chaos' companion, its pretty much impossible because Vincent has been with Chaos for a while and Chaos was with Hojo _before_ that, plus Reixez took the demon from its home in the recent years.**

**Emaya Taku - Hehe, ya know now that you mention it people have told me that I have a knack for description, but thank you for reminding me! Gives me more incentive to make my writing sparkly.**

**Chapter 25**

Vincent tapped his foot impatiently on the tile floor. It had been almost an hour since the water in the tub had frozen over, trapping Mae inside. He had pulled back, trusting Chaos' word, but he was growing nervous. What if the demon decided it didn't need Mae to keep the body stable? What if it was destroying her right now? What if it decided to keep her, but confine her in the corners of her own mind? It could easily go through her memories and learn her behaviors, masking its behavior with hers.

With all of these pessimistic thoughts in his head, Vincent found himself ready to pounce on Mae the moment she woke up. Chaos' voice rang throughout his head.

**"It is done…"** Vincent felt his adrenaline spike, he sat up in his chair, his body tense and ready to spring forward. He watched as the frost over the surface of the ice began to grow more transparent. It a matter of seconds it was gone and the surface grew watery. Vincent's patience left him when Mae did not move. He drew back his fist and plunged it into the icy water.

Pins and needles assaulted his senses as he reached for Mae. When he touched her, he was surprised to find her body exceptionally warm. Strange; she had been encased in ice, she should be frozen and her skin blue. But when he pulled her out of the water, he found her skin flush with color and rosy spots on her cheeks. Bits of ice that clung to her hair and body soon melted.

Water cascaded off of her, weighing down her curly hair and making her clothes cling to her skin, revealing her curves and beauty, but also her scars and wounds. Vincent carried her over to where he had laid out a towel before in preparation and set her down. He then grabbed another fluffy white towel from the pile he'd collected and began to rub her down.

It was only then that he noticed she wasn't breathing.

* * *

Tifa was laughing at Cloud. He was sulkily beating eggs for their dinner in a fluffy pink apron with the cute phrase "Kiss the cook" in bright red letters across it. To Tifa he was utterly adorable. She reached over and took the bowl and beater from him. He pouted and reached behind him to take the apron off.

Tifa got a sudden urge and, with a nervous smile reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. Cloud;s face turned beat red and a flash blinded them both. When the spots disappeared then looked up to see Cid holding a camera with a big smile on his face.

"Hehe, aren't you two cute."

Cloud wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Preferably a big rock because Tifa looked like she wanted to follow him, her cheeks had suddenly turn a startling shade of pink. Cid turned and left, laughing loudly and claiming that he had this year's Christmas card picture.

Cloud contemplated going after him but instead he sighed and finished taking off the apron. Tifa looked up at him sheepishly.

"Hey Cloud…?" He turned to look at her and upon seeing her face, knew that there was only one thing to do in this situation.

He kissed her.

Tifa felt her heart jump and swell, filling her chest with a powerful surge of emotion. She threw her arms around Cloud and kissed him back.

In the other room Cid pocketed the camera and sipped at his tea, content with his mischief. He heard a clang of metal from the kitchen breaking the silence and grinned.

"That-a-boy Cloud…" Cid set down his tea and his gaze traveled to the stairs… where a fine mist was creeping down the stairs. "Mother F-!"

Tifa and Cloud broke apart at the loud curses coming from the other room. They had just enough time to look at each other in confusion before the kitchen door burst open and Cid slammed it behind him. He looked around wildly, mumbling about wilting flowers and needing a towel.

"Cid!" Cloud grabbed his shoulders and made the older man focus on him for a moment. "What is going on?"

Tifa stood in the middle of the kitchen, the bowl of batter on the counter and the beater in her hands, dripping egg and powder all over her apron and the tile floor.

Cid looked back and forth between them, his mouth opening and closing, trying to form words. He got more and more nervous as the seconds passed and eventually pushed past a befuddled Cloud to grab the pink apron he discarded to stuff in the crack under the door.

"Cid, what are you…?" Tifa started. Cid didn't let her finish.

"There is a fog, a… a mist coming down the stairs and it wilted the flowers on the desk and there's something behind it." His words were rushed and unusually panic stricken.

They were both shaken by the out of character fear in the pilot's words. Cloud immediately got serious, all playfulness and confusion gone from his face.

Tifa saw the glean in his eyes and felt reality descend. She put down the beater and took off the apron. Calmly she reached for the gloves in her pocket and slipped the cool leather over her hands, gaining comfort in their rugged feel on her smooth skin.

Cloud grabbed his sword, grateful that he had ignored Tifa's request to leave it in the other room. He lifted the heavy metal, feeling a steely sense of strength wash over him. He was ready to face whatever came with the fog.

Cid grabbed a knife from the drawer and mourned the lack of his spear, propped up by the stairs the mist was currently creeping down.

"It made the materia's glow fade…" he said, his back to the couple.

"What do you mean 'fade'?" Cloud said in a low voice.

"When the mist reached Venus Gospel the materia's glow started to fade. I didn't see if it faded completely."

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud bang in the other room. They all jumped at the sudden sound. Loud, slow footsteps took their time moving from the stairs, off to the left of the flimsy wooden door they were all staring at avidly, watching for the slightest movement. As the sound moved closer to the thin barrier between them and the mysterious mist, the group became tense, their breathing became labored, and they froze, readying themselves for the first strike.

* * *

Vincent felt the blood drain from his face. She wasn't breathing. Forcing his lungs to take in air, Vincent leaned down and tilted Mae's head back. He pressed his trembling lips to hers and emptied the air from his lungs into hers. He then carried out the rest of the steps for CPR, the whole time praying to and cursing whatever gods there were.

After 3 more tries Vincent leaned down, placing his ear to Mae's chest, straining to hear even the slightest sound. Nothing. Vincent felt the panic double back on him and he began the procedure again. He breathed air into her lungs and counted off the times he compressed her chest with his hands. 1…2…3…4… breathe… 1…2…3…4… breathe…

After another 3 times he leaned down again, listening for her heart. Chaos was silent in his head, and the silence was more deafening and distracting, then if he had been talking or growling. Vincent heard nothing yet again. He was about to go through the motions again when a loud noise from downstairs caught his attention. He turned towards the bathroom door, his eyes leaving Mae for only a second.

His eyes left her, and hers opened.

Vincent cursed under his breath and turned back to Mae, his breath catching in his throat. She sat up slowly, her wet hair tumbling down her shoulders and sticking to her face. Her clothing clung to her body, outlining the curves beneath. Her eyes were glowing slightly, the same radiant aqua color, framed by the same heart shaped face and sooty black eye lashes.

But her eyes… they were different. Her pupils were dilated, but they were slowly contracting. Vincent felt his stomach sink when they became feline slits, wild and feral, not at all like the sweet vulnerable eyes that normally gazed upon him.

Her full cherry colored lips stood out against her pale skin and dark hair, and Vincent dimly noted that they were moving. His head was in a fog, and everything seemed so far away. He couldn't figure it out. Should he be happy she was alive? Should he be worried because she was different, maybe not herself, but the demon?

Chaos growled deep in his mind and Vincent felt himself snap back into place in his body. Mae's voice, shivering and thin floated over to him and he heard it for the first time.

"There is something here Vincent, something in this house. We have to go, we have to leave…" The slits in her eyes were slowly evening out and rounding back to their normal state, and color began to light the top of her cheeks.

Vincent blinked stupidly, staring at her with a blank look on his face. He was even more pale then she, and even more out of it. Mae frowned, her brows knitting together with worry. She reached out to touch his face and in a flash his arms were around her and she was being held tightly against his warmth.

"V-Vincent?" she said, stuttering from the cold. "What's going on?" Vincent stepped back from her and wrapped his coat around her. In the second Mae's eyes were off of his he'd composed himself.

"What were you saying a moment ago about there being something in the house?" Mae opened her mouth, taken aback by the warmth of the hug, and the strangely uncaring way he asked the question. She shook off the feeling, chasing it away with the thought that it was irrational.

"I'm not sure, my whole body is on edge and I feel like there is something here. Something threatening, something I need to run away from…" Mae's frown deepened as Vincent shut his eyes.

As soon as Vincent quieted his mind he felt the same urge to leave the area as Mae, but he also felt a tinge of blood lust. Whatever was in the house was off to the right and below them…

"Shit…" Vincent muttered. He grabbed Mae's arm and pulled her to her feet.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Vincent put his finger to his lips and Mae got the hint. He leaned against the door and listened. Mae felt the silence get thick as even their breathing became quiet. The drip, drip of water falling from her hair to the tile floor became so loud it was almost unbearable.

A series of muffled curses reached their ears and Vincent opened the door, intent on rushing downstairs to remove the disturbance.

Cold air and the sight of mist assaulted his senses as the door flew open. The circle of bare floor around the door allotted the door to open, but where the wood and mist met it rotted and became brittle, frail.

"Vincent!" Mae grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him forcefully back into the bathroom before even a wisp of the mist touched him. They both watched as a section of the floor seemed to age and melt into the level below.

Everywhere the mist touched began to age, began to rot. A dank musty odor crept along the hall and the walls began to creak and moan, the wood splintering under weight it could no longer hold, dilapidated, tired.

More shouts from downstairs made Mae jump into action. She stepped in front of Vincent and reached out her hand. It was only an impulse, and Mae felt a fool the moment she did it, but much to her surprise and Vincent's the mist backed off. Mae took a tentative step into the hall and it retreated further from her person. Vincent stepped into the hall behind her and slowly, cautiously the made their way towards the stairs.

One look at the stairs however, was enough to stop them from trying their luck. They were rotted and covered in pock marks and holes, as if they had been overrun with termites in the recent past. Mae looked back down the hall to see that the mist was slowly reclaiming the area she'd cleared.

"I'm going to hop down the stairs. Don't linger ok?" She leapt down the flight of stairs before Vincent could respond. She felt the strange free-fall feeling you get when you expect a fall to end sooner, and then felt her feet touch the floor. The cacophony of groaning, shattering, splintering wood jarred her worse then the hard dirt that greeted her in the basement.

Unable to find another alternative due to the advancing mist Vincent leapt down into the hole, making sure not to land on Mae who was lying stunned on the ground. He helped her up and began to brush her off, but Mae gently stopped him and put her finger to his lips before he could respond.

Vincent felt Chaos shift and heard him growl in his head. He lifted his crimson eyes to the rotted floor above and they began to glow. Mae felt the cold in her mind shift to her arms and legs and strength replaced the little bit of apprehension that had taken over her.

The hollow echo of footsteps was moved around above them…

* * *

**:: CLIFFY! Sorry, couldn't resist... XD::**


	26. Surprise! XD

**: Hey! Oooooo I'm so mad .**

**Well I finally got it! Yaaaaaaaaaaay! Sooo, without further delay...**

**Aranae - Thanks for the encouraging words! I'm glad you don't mind the delay between chapters I try to get them out but college is alot to handle on its own. I'll finish this fic before summer is out but it will be a while before I can start another. My classes next semester are RIDICULOUS. They are gonna b so hard... I'm already starting to get books for them so I can prepare over summer.**

**Flarire - Lol, yeah, I don't want to kill her off just yet, that would be kinda beat O.o haha, glad I can keep you hanging off the edge of your seat! Thanks for the encouragement!**

**Cori Rain - Thank you! I might eventually get around to emailing you lol, but I completely understand the lack every-time of internet life. I swear every-time I check my email I have almost 50 unread ones. I try to check it at least once every week, but I have three different accounts and they often get ignored -.-' I'm here for you to rant to as-well! Email me sometime and I'll get back to you ASAP**

**Luna of the Black Moon - YES! Fear the evil cliffy .**

**SweetxPandemonium - haha, me too! Especially if I was getting paid for it, but sadly, fan-fiction doesn't pay my future (and current) bills so I have to attend class. (eats a cookie to console self)**

**Kuro Tatsumaki - Lame wording pardoned! Don't worry, I use lame words all the time XD**

**Mahogony Rose - (gives you a plate of cookies) These are for after you read THIS chapter. They all have special surprises inside to keep you busy until the next chappie (eats one and Vincent falls from the sky) See cool thinks happen when you eat internet cookies XD**

**Carol - I'm no genius, more of an air-head really, but thank you for the generous compliments though! (hugs)**

**Caos-lust - (hands you a Vincent plushie) Here ya go! That should fix your Vincent addiction XD**

**Thanks you all of my reviewers and readers! You guys are great!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Final Fantasy Characters or ideas, but all original Characters and ideas are mine! My fans will get you if you take them .**

**Chapter 26**

Now it was a curious thing, these footsteps, for they seemed to belong to a presence, but yet they seemed to be separate, disjointed, and far away all at the same time. For Mae they seemed almost deafening. They pounded lightly on the thin, rotting, wooden floor boards; the once brilliant mahogany color wilted to a murky brown, the sounds of the foot falls vibrating down through the air sliding through Mae from her head to her own feet.

She was aware. Aware of how light the foot falls were, how far away they were, how heavy the one walking was, what that person smelled like, where the wood under his feet was the weakest. She both saw and tasted the damp particles falling languidly from the festering hole, smelled it as it seeped into the ground and infected the soil, spoiling it and making it die, never to give birth to plant life ever again.

She was aware of the nervous energy jumping through her taut muscles, the easy confidence of the presence above her, the calm energy of the demon in her mind, the chill from both her body and the mist above. She was aware of how badly she wanted to tear that presence that walked across the Inn floor towards her allies to shreds.

The desire had come over her like a thief in the night, unnoticed, silent, and swift. She hadn't even known it was upon her until it was too late for her to even care it was there. It was a part of her, instinctual, fiery, raging, honed and building like the silence before the trigger is pulled. She felt as if her body was the bullet. She was waiting for her demon to pull the trigger.

She felt her canines shift, moving down and sliding lightly along her lower lip, which she habitually moved so that her mouth was open slightly. Her breath came slow and her pupils dilated. All the better to see you with my dear, she thought to herself.

Vincent, still at her side had become a distant thought in her mind, a comfort in a way, but a distraction in another. Best to forget for now. The demon in her mind did not influence these reactions as much as one might think, instead the changes that it wrought on her system was what took over her. The instincts that came along with the enhanced senses; they were animalistic in nature, all consuming like the need for survival, food to the starving person, once put in range, one just reacts.

Every muscle in her body stretched and contracted silently as Mae shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her luminescent eyes locked on the hole in the floor above her. Her normally aqua eyes had cooled into a striking light blue. Her mouth was parted, her breathing was coming in short smooth breaths, and her mind was buzzing from all of the energy her demon was feeding it.

Vincent stood stoically by Mae's side. Chaos was humming in his mind; it was a pleased sound, contented, full of energy. A light din, not quite humming, more like a half sung note, or a warble from a bird that was taking flight and moving away, joined the low vibrating hum from Chaos. It was a tune without a clear melody, pleased and almost happy. Vincent wasn't sure how to react to it.

Mae listened as the footsteps on the floor above drew closer to the hole. Finally, unable to stand the pressure building in her muscles any more, she leapt through the hole and onto the rotting floor boards. They groaned under her slight weight, but she ignored them, adrenaline and a strange sense of power were running her now.

All she wanted was to fight, fight and destroy the threatening presence, and in a strange way she was enjoying the danger and the rush of energy, fear and power through her veins. It was invigorating.

About 3 feet in front of Mae stood a cloaked figure wearing heavy steel toed boots and worn black leather gloves. The figure was rather tall and had a thick build with wide shoulders. The mist seemed to seep from the base of the cloak, almost as if they were connected, like the mist was part of the material.

Mae didn't really care about all that, she was too high on the sensations her mind was feeding her. The demon sent her icy tendrils throughout Mae's brain, honing and focusing her abilities and whispering nonsensical things into her mind, sending her synapses information and giving her the false high she was riding on.

In a way the demon was taking away a piece of her freedom, but it was not done maliciously. It was using Mae's mind and body as a cherished weapon that was only partially under its control. It was fine tuning her so that she would be able to function as best as she possibly could. In a way the demon was taking measures to protect Mae, by giving her better means to survive, and a way to preserve its new found home in her mind.

The demon would not die if Mae did, but it wished to avoid the inevitable excruciating pain that would occur if it were to be torn from Mae's mind and thrust back into corporeal being. An experience the demon wanted to avoid.

Aside from that, the demon was motivated to keep Mae alive not only because of the negative side effects her death would cause it, but because it wanted to give Reixez a piece of its mind. It did not appreciate the way he tore it from its home and thrust it into a human's mind.

To some demons, being deprived of liberty of movement by a human and used by them was demeaning. To others it was a means to an end. They usually did not help a human unless they had something to gain, or the option was taken away from them. Very rarely did a demon submit willingly to a human. Reixez had taken the option away from Mae's demon, and it had a mind for revenge.

Mae did too. Reixez had taken a different kind of freedom from her, and was using her, albeit in a different way, but the goal for the two beings was the same. Kill Rexiez.

At the moment though, they were both focused on the cloaked man in the mist. His cloak shifted and cold clouds of warm, wet breath floated up above the black brim of the man's hat. His body was completely still though his cloak moved and danced to an invisible current of wind no one else could feel.

The room grew darker as the sun's rays faded from the sky. Time seemed to have flown by only to come to a crashing halt and then creep by as the chill of night settled on the Inn. There was no sound coming from the kitchen and the man's breathing was loud, almost labored.

The night seemed to fall from the sky and seep into the Inn as the furniture began to collapse into piles of dust and rot. It settled on the building, heavy and still. The mist began to glow an eerie green color, faint at first, but growing. The light emanating from the mist flared into life when the man turned around and his cloak flared out from behind him. The light grew into a bright flash of green fire and then before Mae could blink the mist had drawn itself back into the cloak.

Vincent quickly hoped up next to the small woman and put his hand on her shoulder, willing the blood lust in her to wane long enough for Mae to come to her senses. He felt her intentions and at the moment fighting the man when they had no clue who he was or what he was capable of was not the smartest thing to do.

"Mae," he said with authority. The petite woman's head whipped around and her icy blue eyes met his, a look of anticipation and look of impatience glittering in their depths. Vincent frowned, not liking the reaction or the way she was behaving, without sense and control. He knew Mae was still in control, but he also knew her actions were fueled by the influence of the demon. He hadn't had time to talk to her about the deal she made with the demon or how much control she had given it.

Vincent was regretting that mistake, but he knew that the time for it would have to come later. They obviously had more pressing issues to attend to. He turned his mind back to Mae whose eyes were now filled with distaste and more than a little annoyance. Vincent felt his own temper flare at this and narrowed his eyes at the impertinent look in her eyes.

"You will control yourself and you will stay here," he commanded.

Anger is all that greeted him. "Go blow yourself."

Mae felt the anger at Vincent's words flood her body. It was a tidal wave that hit her so hard she had no time for rational thought. There was a small part of her mind still rational enough to whisper that Vincent was right and she was being ridiculous, that the man there was dangerous and she was flirting with danger, but the all consuming rage drown out the voice and Mae found that she wanted nothing more then to punch Vincent square in the face.

"Excuse me?" Vincent was taken aback by her reaction. It shocked him enough that his anger ebbed momentarily.

"You heard me," she said nastily. Her hostility was no longer on the strange man in front of them but was focused on him. Vincent stole a glance at the man and caught sight of his mocking smile. It wasn't Reixez. Chaos was silent. Vincent violently kicked a rotting hunk of wood at the kitchen door. It hit and shattered with a satisfying thud. He felt a little better… that was until he saw Mae roll her eyes. His anger was back and his confusion and shock forgotten.

"Cid! Cloud! Tifa! Get out here now!" He didn't bother to take his eyes off of Mae when they came out looking puzzled and wary, nor did he take the time to explain what was going on. He called them out to take care of the freak with the cape while he taught Mae a well needed lesson. He didn't waste any time.

Mae watched the bulky fist fly at her with enormous speed. She still wasn't used to all of the power her demon gave her, and wasn't prepared for Vincent's power either. His was much more savage and controlled then hers. She could do nothing but block his attack. The pain of bracing a fist attached to a very angry demon possessed human didn't phase her though, her demon merely blocked her pain receptors and filtered more anger into her system.

Mae wanted blood. It was no longer Vincent in front of her, just a body that had thrown a punch at her, had dared to give her an order. The rage was so overwhelming that her body became light with adrenaline and her arms and legs shook with energy and rage.

Vincent was not prepared for Mae to be so damned aggressive. His senses were overloaded with her anger. Her scent had altered and smelled like the aftermath of a wildfire. It was maddening. He was close to releasing his control and pummeling her into the ground.

There were a few problems with that plan. One, he didn't want to hurt her, two, she was moving way to fast for his liking and he wasn't even sure if he could pummel her into the ground even if he wanted to, and three he had to worry about the other occupants in the room. All of which were staring at them with a mixture of fear, confusion and amusement. You can guess which of the latter belong to whom.

A wry laughter drew Mae's attention from Vincent. It was deep and slow, coming from the huge man in the black cloak. His grand shoulders shook and he reached up with one mammoth sized hand to remove the large rimmed hat from his head. His face was big and square and a large scar ran from his chin down his neck and beneath the cloak.

Mae's anger didn't fade. It stopped cold.

"D… Dad?"

* * *

**:Me: So how is the weather today?**

**Vincent: They are going to get you for this one day**

**Me: Yeeeeeeaaaaaah but not until they find out where I live XD:**


	27. Memories

**: Yeah, finally got myself some jobs and I'm in the process of locating a car. I've been down since I got home from college. I really miss it. Not to mention that I have to live with cats again now and I've been dealing with terrible allergies. So to take my mind off of it I sat down and wrote you guys a chapter. I got a really blah job where they encourage you to bring things to entertain yourself with, laptops included, so I'll be churning out chapters regularly. I dunno how good this one is because I'm rusty and my brain is a bit fried due to job hunting in an almost impossible market, and looking for a car that won't fall apart or kill my wallet because it gets a crappy amount of miles to a gallon. Read, review, and let me know where I need to improve. I'll get back into the swing of things soon! Bear with me until then. Thank you to all of my loyal readers who have probably dreamed of pulling a Dolorous Claiborne, lol, for putting up with me :)**

**Alexis4 - Thanks for the advice! I was thinking about it for a while, but I decided against it. You are right, it would be too typical, and that is the last thing I want this story to be. I'll keep up the (mostly) original ideas coming XD. As for the cliff hangers... well... The biggest reason is that I stop writing when I think its a good place to leave off before a whole other set of actions or ideas are introduced. Its kinda hard to NOT have a cliffhanger really O.o**

**Flarire - Lol I only say that stuff to work you guys up and keep you coming back for more lol**

**Luna of the Black Moon - You don't like the Easter Bunny? Haha, woooooooooooooow.**

**LadyoftheDrow - Ya know... thats kinda creepy... just to let you know.**

**Caos-lust - So violent! Anywho, I haven't had the privilege of playing Dirge of Cerberus, so any relation to any of it is totally unplanned nor is it intentional. Glad I pulled a fast one on ya though XD. As for all the hints as possibly having a "more serious relationship" I'm thinking about it, but since I've never written anything like that and would prolly be super embarrassed to do it, it might not happen. I dunno how fan-fiction deals with stuff like that, and I know I've had to go to other sights if there was such explicit material in it and I don't have a sister site or a personal one. If anyone is clear on stuff like that and its ok, then I might. Otherwise I might write it... aaaaaaaaaand keep it to myself XD. Naw, I'll figure something out. Let me know!**

**Mahogony Rose - I are wet O.o**

**Sweetxpandemonium - Haha! If they paid my bills I think I would cry from happiness and write you guys a special extra chapter(s). Lol, not only that, buuuut I'd definitely dedicate my book (that I've stopped writing so I could finish this story for you guys) to fanfiction and all of you who read my story :)**

**Kairis - Its been a while since I've looked over these reviews. If I didn't send you an email or check out your story (I probably didn't due to massive amounts of papers due WAY TO FREAKIN SOON), send me an email at with your story attached. I'll read it and give you some feedback :) I'm always willing to help out other authors. Anyone here is welcome to send me their stories. Please, PLEASE write in all caps "FANFICTION, REVIEW STORY" and whatever else you want, but I won't open it unless thats in there. Oh, and don't send me any virus, adware or spyware. I'm asking nicely. My poor hunk of crap comp can't handle another breakdown. It runs crappy as it is. Also, no spam please.**

**Also, you mentioned profanity, I'll try to tone it down, I know its offensive to most, but that is why I put this under mature, and I use it in context. We all know Cid's a potty mouth. I will keep it in mind though and try to filter it out with awkward pauses or something O.o**

**Chapter 27**

Vincent felt his mouth drop open.

"_Dad?"_He looked over to the man and familiar aqua eyes flickered towards him, boring into his soul. _"Just like hers…"_

A chill crawled up his spine. The man's eyes were much colder then Mae's, they were wild like hers, but his were alien and hostile. Mae's eyes had never alighted on him like that. A motion, quick and gone in a flash warped the big man's strong face. It was a look of disgust, of hostility. Vincent felt Chaos' growl rumble deep in his mind and felt his own anger rise up. He knew that his eyes were close to glowing, but he showed no other emotion on his face. He decided to keep as much as he could from the big man. Vincent didn't trust him. Secrecy was best.

Mae felt her heart leap up into her throat and her eyes bulge. This man… this giant hulk of a man was the moving mountain that she'd loved as a small child; the mountain that would cradle her in its strong arms and carry her to her mother when she scraped her knee or needed to feel protected.

The same mountain that held the cold body of her mother as she lay bleeding on the floor. The same mountain that crumbled at the sight of their shattered family; her mother torn and bleeding, her sister twisted and limp, her arms and legs laying at strange angles. Her father had not even seen her as she ran into the house, so blinded by the grief and rage and hate.

Mae closed her eyes and willed the memories away. She did not want to face them right now. She was too overwhelmed and tired and worn. When she opened them again, she saw the shadow of those painful memories reflected in her fathers eyes. He knew what she'd been thinking.

Now she didn't know _what _to think. A man that she'd thought dead was standing in front of her. She didn't want to remember _why _she thought he was dead, but the demon, curious because of the multitude of emotions jolting through her, had other ideas. It pulled up the emotion and Mae's eyes got cloudy and distant as she was forced to remember…

_The voice had come again to haunt her that night. It did not seem as far away as it had before. She had awoken in a cold sweat, her muscles sore and stiff, her head pounding and her lungs finally giving way to her commands for air. Panic gripped her. It seemed so close, this recent dream, but even as she struggled to push away the feelings that accompanied it she felt the images slipping away. The only thing she could remember were the faces of her friends, terrified and frozen in death._

_The first thing Mae had done that day was go to them and convince them to leave. She was surprised when they did without much of a fuss. They must have seen the terror in her eyes_

_and felt they should comply to put her fevered mind to rest. She did not watch them go, did not even help them pack._

_Irrational fear gripped her even though she tried to calm herself with the fact that her friends were leaving. They were going to be ok, they were going to safety. She was walking back through the dusty old desert town to her house when she came out of the fog of her own thoughts and noticed that there was no one around._

_Mae refused to let the fear grip her again until she was sure there was something wrong. The sun was sinking low in the sky. It must have taken her longer then she thought to get to and from her friends' houses. It shouldn't surprise her though. They were at the other end of town._

_The dry heat and wind assaulted Mae, blowing sand and grit into her eyes and mouth. Her hair whipped around her face as she scanned the town. Neighbors were always out at this time; kids playing, the smells of dinner cooking, old folks out on their porch rocking and enjoying the cooler temperatures of the evening. There was nothing. Even the town cats had gone missing as well as the perpetually barking dogs the shop owner kept to protect his wares._

_Silence engulfed the town. All Mae could hear was the wind and the beating of her own heart. She shivered despite the lingering heat of the day._

_Her gaze left the abandoned houses and she began to walk slowly towards the cul-de-sac where her house was. A strong smell brought by the wind almost made her gag and she looked to the left of her street and towards the church not to far away. She felt her heart leap up into her throat. There was a small hand sticking out from behind a bush a few feet away. It had blood and dirt on it._

_Mae battled herself for a moment before slowly, mechanically walking towards the hand and around the corner. She screamed. The people of the town had been found. They were strewn around the simple court yard of the church, some intact and seemingly asleep, others torn apart, butchered as if set upon by ravenous wild animals._

_Mae tried again to scream, but it was caught in her throat, terror flooding her system. She couldn't move, her feet rooted to the spot. She didn't want to turn for fear that the murderer was behind her, waiting to see the look of terror in her eyes before taking her life too._

_Hands shaking, knees wobbling and unsteady, Mae backed away, turning to look down the long walk to her house. It was a faded blue house set a bit further away from everyone else's house. Her mother had been a stickler for privacy. Mae began to move towards that small house in the distance, her legs moving stiffly, slowly putting one foot in front of the other._

_She was processing everything she had seen, but was unwilling to believe that it was real. It couldn't be. This was a town where nothing happened. She was nothing special and her dreams were delusions. She was mad, losing her mind. That had to be it. The men in white were going to come and lock her up in a little padded room and she would stay there for the rest of her life alone. Her friends would visit and talk to her and tell her that it was just a nightmare and_

_everyone in the town was ok._

_Mae felt the fear rising up from her stomach, nauseated and roiling from the stench and sight of the dead bodies, felt it enter her chest and jolt her heart and mind. Soon she was running down the street, feeling as if she were possessed, wondering how she was running so fast, yet feeling so weak and as if she were moving ever so slowly. It felt like a dream._

"_Please, oh gods, let this be a dream…"_

_Her feet took her to her yard, barren of grass or trees, filled with hard clay and sand. They would take her no further. A scream came from the house and Mae felt a sob break loose. She felt forward onto her knees and began to cry, but still felt the need to move forward. All of the strength had left her body and her limbs became like rubber. She crawled to the steps of the porch and jumped as more screaming assaulted her ears. Blood splattered across the dirt clouded windows of her house and Mae felt her arms go weak. She pulled herself up those rough wooden steps and to the door. She sobbed, wanting to run and hide and never again show her face out of shame and fear, but her mind longed to see if her family was still alive._

_Her family… her mother, her father, her little sister… Her mother ignored her, she was too different, having a strange imagination, sneaking out in the middle of the night, ignoring boys in favor of her friends whom she hung out with constantly, being silent in school, day dreaming…_

_Her father, a strong man, jovial and kind; he did not mind Mae, but was too wrapped up in his job and paying the bills to worry about her too much. Still, he was nice…_

_Her sister, small, golden haired angel that she was, was the complete opposite of Mae, which never bothered the raven haired older sibling, until it was pointed out to her that her sister was the perfect embodiment of everything her mother had wanted in a child. This of course, was whispered to her by other children of the town, just out to cause trouble, but in Mae's mind it was truth. She had never asked her mother if it was true._

_She would never get that chance._

_The wind hurled sand at Mae's face, pushing her weak body away from the house. It was if nature itself had taken pity on her and was telling her not to look, to run away, to save her sanity. But she could not. It was a macabre desire to know, to see. In her heart there was a feeble thought, a desire. Maybe, just maybe she could help them, save them. But her mind knew better._

_Some how, Mae knew not how, she found her hand on the cold blood smeared door handle. A strident scream jolted her to open the old wood door, covered in specks of peeling paint and drying blood. The moment the door opened blood and flesh covered the front of Mae as her mother's skin was ripped from her body by a hideous beast standing over her corpse. The screaming was coming from Mae's little sister who huddled in the corner, her beautiful blue eyes wide, and her frilly dress stained and covered in gore._

_Mae cried out, reaching for her sister, but unable to lift her heavy feet, hardly able to stand. The beast jerked up from the corpse of her mother and looked at her with golden eyes and, to Mae's horror, smiled showing long pointed teeth. Mae slumped against the doorway, sliding to the floor as her legs gave out._

_Her sister's screams tore through the air and the monster suddenly took notice of them. Mae watched weakly as the creature turned with a screeching roar and snatched her sister from the corner of the room, tearing up her pretty little dress, staining her golden curled red and quieting her screams. There was still screaming, but Mae failed to noticed it was coming from her. The creature tossed away the lifeless rag of body into the stairs where it flopped down several steps with a sickening sound._

_Mae's screaming was cut short when she jolted forward and emptied her stomach. She swiped at the bile on her chin with shaky hands. Unintelligible sounds emanated from her mouth and she was shaking violently. She couldn't hear over the buzzing in her ear and she couldn't process the gore surrounding her._

_It wasn't her house. That was it. It couldn't be. The woman that the creature tore up was some one else's mother and the little girl was in her mind. Yes, in her mind, she was crazy that's all. None of this was real. She'd wake up strapped to a bed with her mother complaining about her and her sister shoving her dolls in her face._

_Mae began to cling to the images she was feeding herself. Laughter bubbled up from her, wild and desperate. Her eyes were wild and her body almost convulsing with fear._

_The creature ignored the small broken body in favor of the terrified girl slumped in the door way. It watched as hysteria crept into her eyes and she began to laugh. She refused to lift her head and instead stared at the small black polished shoe lying in front of her. The impact must have flung it from the golden haired child's foot. The creature found that it was insulted by the laughter. The raven haired girl was doubled over with it. It slammed its oversized fist into the hard wood floor, splintering it._

"_I am a demon!" Mae's laughter grew more boisterous. The demon grew angry. "Do you not fear me? You weak little mortal, how dare you mock me!" He raised his fist to slam Mae's head into the floor when she suddenly flung her head back, eyes open. The laughter stopped. The demon was taken aback by the aqua glow of the little human's eyes against her pale blood spattered skin. It took a step back and studied her further. She was slumped in the middle of the door frame; blood was spattered across the wall, spreading out from the frame. Wings… they looked like wings._

_A bright blue butterfly limped across the floor with one crushed wing. It had gone unnoticed in the crisis. Mae looked down to the floor and scooped up the dying insect. The demon smiled at the sight. He wanted to see the color of this new girl's blood._

"_Butterfly…" Mae said softly in a high hoarse voice._

* * *

**: Yeah, Yeah, I know, cliffhanger, but hey, the next chapter is already started! So I won't take forever to put up the next one... I'm telling the truth this time! lmao**

**Vincent: *playing cards* Sounds like vacation is over...**

**Reno: Pssshhh! NOT! Bwahahaha! She's gonna get into some other trouble, like, juggling her three jobs and ends up with more hours then they told her she would get and use that as an excuse for the next time she... *crash***

**Me: I'm sorry, what were you saying? *more glass objects in hand***

**Reno: *rubbing head* That you're a cra...**

**Me: *raises vase***

**Reno: Uh... crazy awesome writer... yeah**

**Me: better... heh**


	28. Demons rule the world! XD

**::EDIT!: I was looking back through the story and I forgot that I named Mae's little sister Hana already, and I put her name as Marie in this chapter. I fixed it in this chapter, but if I messed it up in a different one let me know and I'll fix it there too! Thanks! Also, the next chapter is in its final stages so I should be posting it soon. Thank-you for your patience!::**

**::Hey! Well I broke my block. I'm still stumbling around with what I want to do, but I'll figure it out eventually. I haven't been able to get internet for forever, and I finally figured out how to get a little signal a bit before the weekend, but then I got sick. Like three times over. I was taking meds for the first sickness, then got sick from the medicine Monday night and spent the whole night getting rid of whatever was in my stomach. Then I went to the doctors on Tuesday, where they told me I couldn't eat anything, but I could only have liquids. THAT SUCKED. I was so weak and tired from no sleep or food that I could do practically nothing. I didn't even trust myself to drive I was so dizzy. I was able to have some soup yesterday, and today I've been able to eat solids, so I think I'm good, but I'm still having a hard time and I have something ELSE from the freaking meds for the first sickness. I hate antibiotics. Lets just leave it at that.**

**So I'm back now and I hope that this chapter will actually post this time. Enjoy!**

**PS: This chapter is a bit longer then it was going to be, one because I think I've taken way too long with it and that you guys deserve a little more because of that, two because I had a ton of extra time to mull over ideas and write at my new job because the store is DEAD ALL THE TIME, lol, and three because you guys needed something without a cliffhanger**

**Caos-lust - I'm glad I'm able to get you so into the story. That's the only kind of writing I can read, the stories where you feel like you are a part of it, like you can identify with every character, where you can feel their pain, and happiness and sadness and triumph. That's when you know you can write, when your story captivates everyone who reads it. I'm not that good yet, but I plan on getting that good eventually :)**

**SweetxPandemonium - Yay I has a body guard XD lmao. Sorry if I gave you nightmares! I will try and be better with getting the chapters out quicker. I might be getting a second job, but since I spend 6 hours at a time at the other one and I usually bring my computer, I doubt it will take away from my writing time too much. By the way, thanks for sticking with my story this long! I think you are one of the most loyal reviewers. I haven't looked back at each chapter, but I always see your screen name. Thank-you for the support and protection from all the item throwers lol.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers, you guys are what keeps me going, now... on to the story!**

**Chapter 28**

"_Butterfly," repeated the creature, a smile spreading across its face as it began to molt it's demonic skin in favor of a more presentable one. "My little butterfly…"_

_Mae looked up as the demon-man reached towards her, her skin crawling and her mind screaming at her to run. A large mass moved by her in a flash and the demon-man had been flung into the wall. Mae looked up to see her father, his face pale, his fists clenching and unclenching. He knelt down and delicately picked up the torn body of her mother._

"_Anne… Hana…" The hulking man flung his head back and let out a roar; Mae felt herself snap back into reality._

"_Daddy?" she whimpered. The big man turned back to look at her._

"_Mae…" he moved towards her, looking lost, vulnerable. "My sweet Mae… you're alive…"_

_The demon-man snarled and pulled himself from the thin wall. "Human!" It roared. Mae's father turned slowly to face the irate demon-man. The demon-man hissed and snapped, spittle flying from his mouth, his hair a wiry mess. Mae's father glanced back at Mae and their identical eyes locked._

"_Mae… run. "The words were barely above a whisper, but they had an electrifying effect on Mae's body. She scrambled out of the house, slipping and sliding in her mother and sister's blood. Her eyes were wide with terror and her body shaking with the overload of adrenalin coursing through it. She managed to stand only to fall down the stairs and land face first in the sandy dirt. It flew up in a cloud around her, making its way into her heaving lungs. The smell of blood was still present despite the whipping wind. A roar of pain from the house behind her sent a chill up her spine and before she knew it she was halfway through the town._

_The strangeness of the empty town was like an assault on her abused mind, and she found that she couldn't even think about that, let alone what happened at her house. Her friends images flitted through her mind. She didn't stop to see if they were gone, if they had listened to her and left. She couldn't. Her dad was still screaming at her to run. But wait… he hadn't screamed… had he?_

_Mae tripped and fell. Pain washed through her followed by a powerful wave of exhaustion. She didn't attempt to get up again, she just laid there in the cool grass and let the sounds of deep night wash away her conscious mind._

Mae felt her mind slip back into her control. She blinked away the powerful emotions of the memories and let her eyes focus once again on the strong scarred face of her father. His voice was still fresh in her mind, urging her to run, and she had to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths before she could look at him again.

When she opened her eyes she was once again overcome by the sight of him. Tears rose up in her throat and her eyes stung from emotion.

"Daddy?" she whimpered, her voice a ghost from the past.

Timothy let the small wavering voice wash over him as it had those long years ago. He heard the vulnerability, the fear, the plea, the trusting love and felt his heart melt. It was Mae, his little girl. The image of her ferocious eyes and harsh words faded from his immediate memory and he sighed, letting all of the tension and apprehensive anger in him subside. This was his little girl.

Vincent watched the big man's eyes soften as he looked at Mae and he seemed to visibly shrink in statue. His eyes wandered to Mae and he was surprised to see so much pain and vulnerability showing. It wasn't only in her eyes, but in the way she seemed to diminish in her presence and the way she curved her body in as if to protect herself.

Vincent unconsciously reached out and lightly touched her arm, wanting to comfort her, silently forgiving her for her attacks on him only moments ago. Both Mae and her father looked at him; Mae with a small amount of shock, but then with shame. Vincent's face softened with a small smile. He let her know that all was forgiven.

Mae's father watched all of this with an uneasy demeanor. He was unsure of Mae's reaction to Vincent.

"Mae?" He said in a deep gruff voice. Mae reluctantly looked away from Vincent and back to her father. There was so much pain they shared. She felt even more now that she knew that he was alive. She hadn't even tried to find him, had ran like a coward to save herself instead of staying with him.

Timothy saw the emotions swirling around inside of Mae, saw the tears building, saw the shame and fear and far away look that came to her. He sighed.

"You're alive…" Mae felt her chest grow warm as he said the words, but it left quickly leaving her colder then before. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to shiver. Her father's eyes grew cold, but Mae felt the warmth come back. Vincent was holding her. She looked up at him. His eyes were on her dad, but they weren't hostile. She couldn't say the same for her father. His eyes had gone very cold.

"Mae, who is this?"

Cid shifted, uncomfortable with being ignored. Tifa leaned into Cloud's warmth. The room was growing colder.

"This is Vincent," she said lightly, still a bit overwhelmed with the situation. "He saved my life… just like you did…" She watched her dad melt again, his eyes growing sad. She felt panic flood her body. "Dad… I, I'm so sorry… I" He held up a hand and she felt Vincent give her a little squeeze. The panic receded.

A silence filled the room. Mae felt the panic at the corner of her mind, but had no clue what to say. She could see Cid, Cloud and Tifa standing off to the side looking lost. The warmth of Vincent's body, the rise and fall of his chest and his warm breath lightly touching her hair grounded her and kept the panic away. She felt safe. The tension in her body seemed to melt away and her mind relaxed.

Timothy watched his little girl melt into the arms of the demon possessed man. He did not like the man, his strange silence and quick movements, nor the blood red eyes or the stench of death that clung to his clothing, but he would not deny his daughter any comfort. She was all he had left.

"I've been searching for you…" He was unused to using his voice. It felt strange in his throat, and sounded alien to him as if it were someone else's. He coughed awkwardly and shifted his weight to the other foot. "I wanted to know…" His mouth and throat worked to find the words, but nothing came out. He looked up from his feet, pleading with his eyes for Mae to understand.

She smiled. He felt his heart melt. There were tears in her eyes, and yes, there was pain, but there was something else too. Warmth that had never been there before, even before she'd had her life stolen from her.

Timothy coughed again, looking away to hide his tears.

Mae lightly placed her hands on Vincent's arm, leaning into his embrace just for a moment before pushing his arms down to go to her father. The big man looked up at the soft footfalls just in time to catch the hug Mae flung at him.

"I thought you were dead," she sobbed. Timothy held her as she cried.

"I couldn't leave you behind all alone…" he said simply.

"Well I never saw this coming," Cid said loudly throwing his hands up. Tifa gave him a dirty look for ruining the moment. Cloud rolled his eyes and Mae laughed between her chocked sobs. Tired, scarred and beaten, the big man smiled for the first time in years.

* * *

"So what was that mist? Why is everything in the Inn old dusty and falling apart?" Tifa asked as she cleared the table.

"Well, it was dusty to begin with and pretty old," Cid said through a mouthful of cake. Tifa shot him a dirty look.

"I am curious to know why the Inn suddenly looks hundreds of years older then it was when we first came here," Cloud said idly. Vincent and Mae sat at the small table with Cloud, Cid and Tifa, but Timothy was by himself sitting on a stool by the bar. He sipped at the thick glass of some aged bourbon. He feigned disinterest in the conversation, but inside he was squirming. He didn't want to discuss his powers with these people. He didn't want his daughter to know what he'd become. He was as much a monster as Reixez and that red eyed demon possessed hunter sitting way to close to his little girl.

Mae was just as nervous as her father. She didn't want to know why the Inn had started to age, didn't want to think her dad could possibly be… like her.

Vincent could feel the nervous energy coming from Mae and the big man named Timothy. Mae was looking down at the half eaten food on her plate, pushing around random bits of food. He was curious to see what Timothy would say, but there seemed to be no forthcoming reply from the man. He pegged him with his stare, knowing full well that he could feel it.

Timothy's eyes traveled from his drink to the hot stare of the red eyed man named Vincent. He felt his eyes narrow and his lips pull back slightly from his teeth, both natural reactions to the unwanted attention. Vincent didn't look away. It rapidly became a contest for dominance, whoever looked away first was submitting, admitting their inferiority. Vincent lifted his head slightly and let Chaos surface in his mind. It was not a smart move, Vincent admitted to himself, but his blood boiled to prove his strength to the man at the bar.

Timothy saw the challenge in Vincent's eyes and he too let the presence in his mind surface. The energy between the two in the room was almost palpable. Tifa left quickly with a nervous statement about needing to use the ladies room. Cloud and Cid pretended not to notice, but both covertly checked their materia and weapons.

Mae was not going to act so lightly.

"Enough!" she said hotly. A blast of chilly air brought both pairs from each other and to her. Her eyes were ice blue and hostile. She had lost the warm aqua color and her pupils were dilated. Both men were taken by surprise and their demons slipped back into the depths of their mind.

"Mae… you…" Timothy felt pain and disappointment wrack his heart. His daughter was infested by a bloodsucking demon as well. Mae saw the look in her father's eyes and she felt the momentary anger melt away. She turned from him ashamed.

Vincent stood up quickly and was beside Mae in an instant. He knew what she was feeling, the same self disgust and hatred that had plagued him for years. Vincent refused to let her face that alone. He silently cursed Reixez for doing this to her, and then cursed himself twice over, once for letting it happen and then again for letting himself care so much. He'd had no

intention of becoming so close to Mae, but his feelings were becoming stronger every minute it seemed, bringing him ever closer to falling in love with her. He had a feeling that these feelings didn't bode well for either of them.

He felt Mae lean into him, her head resting just beneath his shoulder blade. Her soft wild hair tickled at his exposed skin and he resisted the urge to run his hands through it.

Yep, he was in way to deep. His mind, the traitor that it was brought up images, sensations and smells of the kiss they shared. Vincent closed his eyes so his eyes could not betray the powerful emotions shaking the foundations of cold distance he'd kept up for so long. He was torn. He wanted Mae. Wanted to hold her, comfort her, keep her safe, care for her, but he also didn't want any of that, wanted life to go back to the way it was, simple, boring, safe. He wasn't sure if he could do that anymore and it scared him. Another word could describe those times as well, but he ignored it, batted it away as if it were an annoying fly.

Lonely. He'd been lonely. Even with Cid, his closest friend, or the others around, he still felt it. It might have been because he was different, it might have been because he wasn't very social, or it might have been just because he wouldn't let himself get any closer. Either way it didn't matter now. Mae had managed to wiggle past his icy calm exterior and now she was poking at his inner self and it was a thrilling, scary ordeal and he wasn't sure if he wanted to cast her out or make room for her so she could stay forever.

Forever. They would both be around forever now thanks to the demons inside them. The rest of his friends would age and die, but not him, not her. Maybe that was why he kept even Cid at a distance. He knew that they would not live very long compared to him. Not unless someone killed him. Chaos could not be removed from him because they had been bonded by more then mind, so death would occur anyway. But it was very hard to kill a demon infested human, and he doubted he'd let just anybody take his life, and he knew his friends would not take up the task.

The more Vincent thought about it, spending eternity alone, the more he warmed to the thought of a companion, but then he froze his thoughts. Mae did not want her demon. She would have it removed at the first chance, and she would get that chance when they killed Reizex. There would be a window of time where the demon, bound to her by Reizex would be required to leave Mae if she so requested. Vincent felt himself move away from Mae's warmth, her scent, her aura, her soft hair and skin. She would not want to stay the way she was just to be with him. She wouldn't. She'd grow old with the rest of them.

Vincent turned, shielding his face from the others with the long curtain of his hair, but Timothy still caught the struggle that had been going on it his eyes. The big man sat down on his stool slowly and picked up his drink, turning away from his daughter and the very strange red haired man.

"_Interesting…"_

Mae felt Vincent's warmth slide away from her slightly and felt her heart burn at the move. He didn't want her like that, he was protecting her because he felt obligated. She felt her emotions boiling up inside her and tears burned at the edges of her eyes. She felt disgusting and very, very foolish.

She excused herself quietly and climbed the stairs, which were now returning to their natural age. The hole was still there from where she had fallen through the floor into the cellar, but it was easily avoided. The mist in the hall was gone and without watching where she was going she stepped into the side room where Yuffie and Red were sleeping. They were both still there and neither of them looked affected by the mist.

She ran her hand over the spot where Yuffie's shuriken had hit her. There was a small scar close to her heart. She felt the smooth line. It only healed this good because of the demon in her. Out of morbid curiosity she ran her hands along the circle carved and burned into her flesh. It sat on the right side of her stomach, a bit above her belly button. She then ran her fingers over the tail end of the twisted scar that ran from the back of her shoulder and curved around her to her belly button on the left side of her body.

Tears had started falling from her eyes, but Mae did not notice. Her pain was silent and it would stay that way. A creak from down the hallway alerted her to another presence coming up the stairs. She quickly ran to the nearest room and pulled the door shut behind her. It was a small room with a single bed and a cramped bathroom.

After she shut the door, a bolt of fear caused her to lock it behind her. She felt childish, but she didn't want anyone's sympathy right now. She was too confused and hurt and didn't want to deal with Tifa's big knowing brown eyes or Cloud's clumsy attempts at the right thing to say or Cid's fatherly attitude or Vincent. Especially Vincent. She felt ashamed. Was the passion he showed her earlier brought upon them by blood lust? Was there no passion for her behind it?

Pathetic. These thoughts were pathetic. She was clinging to the man like a little child. She was grasping for love because she had gone without a companion for too long and had managed to make the man feel uncomfortable. All he was trying to do was be her friend and she wanted more. She had let her feelings rule her completely and now she looked like a foolish child clinging to the first person who would show her affection.

Mae slid down to the floor, her back to the door. The tears were running freely and she felt the emotions rocking her body again. The demon sighed in her head.

"**Your memories show you as a strong independent woman who yearned only for life, and now here you are crying because a man rejected you."**

"Shut up," Mae spat. She didn't want to hear anything from the ice cold presence in her mind, she already had an aching headache. She felt the demon shift in her mind and she began to shiver. Why was it so cold?

There was a light knock on the door.

"**Respect me child,"** the demon hissed icily into her mind. **"I can work with you or I ****can make your life a living hell."** Mae felt pain shoot through her head and jerked, falling over and hitting her head on the dresser by the door. She moaned.

"Mae?" said the muffled voice. Mae couldn't hear it over the throbbing in her head. She clenched her teeth and rolled over away from the solid oak dresser. She opened her eyes and the light coming through the window blinded her. She muffled the cry that she wanted to let loose. She wanted to scream for Vincent to come and tell her how to put the demon in check, but she didn't want to talk to him because of shame either, so she kept quiet. For the most part.

"Mae? Are you in there?" Mae heard the voice this time and the knocking, but only because they seemed to be amplified ten fold. Each knock felt like some one hammering a nail into her head.

"What?" she whispered.

"Mae?"

"What!" she yelled and then moaned quietly as a kaleidoscope of colors appeared before her eyes. The demon pulled back from her mind and retreated to a small corner of Mae's mind. Mae's body went limp with exhaustion.

"Are you ok? What's going on?" She couldn't bring herself to care about who's voice it was. She didn't waste the effort to recognize it.

"I'm fine," she said rather hoarsely.

"**Remember what I said human."**

"Are you sure?"

Mae pushed herself up from the floor, her arms feeling like spaghetti and her head instantly hurt again. She laid back down and concentrated on breathing. She felt the ache in her heart returning as the other pain slowly retreated.

"Mae?" the voice said, concern lacing it. Mae heard the door knob jiggle. They were trying to get in.

"I'm fine," she said weakly. "I'm just tired…" she trailed off as her head began to throb. "I'm gonna get a shower…" she said softly, just loud enough for whomever was at the door to hear. There was a pause and Mae tried again to stand up. She got one knee up, and was almost able to stand, but her weak legs gave out beneath her and she crashed into the dresser again, grabbing at it to keep upright.

"Mae! I'm coming in!"

"No!" she said too loud. She picked herself up and sat on the dresser to rest. The door

shook as the man on the other side began to test the lock.

"Open the door, Mae." The voice was calm, demanding, deep and concerned. Vincent. Mae felt her heart leap and at the same time fall. She was torn. She wanted him to come in and fuss over her, but she didn't because she knew that it wasn't because he had feelings for her. He felt obligated to care and she didn't want that.

"No," she said in the angriest voice she could manage. It came out sounding exhausted and beaten.

"Why?" he demanded.

"Because, I want to be alone…" even she didn't believe her own reason.

Vincent sighed and laid his head on the door. He knew why he followed her up the stairs, but he wasn't sure why he was trying so hard to get in her room. He wanted to know she was ok sure, but there was something else too. He wanted to make sure she was ok, and wanted to make her ok if she wasn't. He wanted to hold her and tell her it was ok, and he wanted to put the barrier back up and only talk to her again if he needed to. Her father could very well take care of her now. She could leave and they could both take care of each other. Reizex wouldn't be brazen enough to attack them both now that Mae had a demon and her father did as well.

But even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true. Reixez would hunt Mae down and wouldn't stop until she was dead inside and out. Vincent sighed again and hit his head loudly against the door. He was about to say something else when he heard the shower come on. He closed his mouth and balled up his fist in frustration. What had gotten into her? Did she sense his indecision?

"Boy," said a deep gruff voice.

Vincent whipped around and saw Timothy's hulking frame clogging up the hallway. He stood a good five feet away, but that was too close all of the sudden for Vincent. How did he get so close without Vincent hearing him?

"I want to talk to you," Timothy said in a tired voice. Vincent straightened from the crouch he'd sunk into when Timothy caught him by surprise. The big man turned around and walked silently down the hallway back towards the stairs. Vincent followed thinking about how out of place it looked for someone as bulky as Mae's father to walk down a hall and make no noise. It had to have something to do with his demon.

They both walked outside. Tifa Cloud and Cid were musing over the changing furniture, but stopped to watch them leave silently. Cid caught Vincent's eye and the pilot tossed him a red stone. Summon materia. Vincent nodded and followed Timothy through the door.

* * *

**: Not much to say. I already started the next chapter, but I can't promise I will have it out super soon. I'm still kinda sick and on the meds that made me sick, so I don't know how I'm going to feel in the next 10 days I have to take it, but I will do my best to keep on working! Once again, thanks to anyone and everyone who has taken the time to write me a few sentences, it means alot ;)**


	29. One Demon Two Demon Three

**::Accidentally erased the original chapter I posted along with any and all responses to reviews. Sorry! But here is the edited chapter :P::**

**Chapter 29**

Mae leaned against the bathroom door. Her arm rested on the cold white sink and she leaned on it for support. The bathroom was slowly filling with steam, fogging up the small medicine cabinet mirror and making beads of water appear on the dull blue tiles. Mae breathed in the thick warm air and sagged against the dark wood door, fatigue getting the best of her. Her muscles all burned as if she had over worked each and every one of them. Even as the warm steam filled the room, her body shook, assaulted by the cold in her mind. It seemed to travel down from the stolen corner in her mind through her veins to the rest of her body, chilling her arms and legs, making her fingers stiff and her toes numb.

Mae shivered. Tears that had pooled in her eyes began to fall slowly down her face, their momentum slowing until they stopped completely, midway down her pale cheek, and freezing solid. Mae felt the cold intensify and her tears become little icicles and viciously tore them from her face, her nails cutting her skin and leaving clean red lines that bubbled with droplets of blood before closing over completely as if they were never there.

She stood, intent on stealing all the warmth she could from the shower and slipped on the water slicked tiles. Her head connected soundly with the large porcelain tub and she saw stars.

* * *

Vincent stepped outside the inn, Chaos humming inside his mind, pleased to be out under the large moon. The hulking frame in front of him stopped a few feet away and turned his head up to the moon. Vincent imagined that he must enjoy the open air as well.

Timothy felt the rush of the wind, the pull of the moon and the deep midnight blue of the sky. As he tilted his head back he felt the sky embrace him. Vertigo assaulted him and he felt as if he would fall into that eternal blackness and never feel solid ground again. He closed his eyes and listened to the night. He heard the heartbeat of the man behind him and slowly let his mind pull back into him. He let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Vincent…" the name sounded strange on his tongue, but then again so did most words now-a-days.

Vincent stayed silent. The way the big man had said his name, it wasn't asking his attention, or a question, it wasn't even a statement, it was as if he was trying out his name, seeing how it sounded, how it felt to say. He watched the older man turn and look at him.

"Vincent, can you keep up with me?"

Vincent felt himself frown at the strange question. Either this man didn't understand what he'd asked or he hadn't talked to people in a long time. Vincent was willing to bet the latter.

"I can," he said simply. The big man moved quicker then Vincent thought he could and he tensed as the man reached for him. The large hand, reminiscent of a bear paw, stopped suddenly and Vincent stared down at it. He… he wanted to shake hands?

Vincent looked up at the big man questioningly, but when no explanation was forthcoming he dropped the surprise and straightened his back. He held out his hand, a pinch of hope in his eyes that Mae's father wouldn't try and attack him. He knew that the man was probably powerful, but Vincent was much older then him and would be able to easily pummel him into the ground, not that he would say that to the older man's face. The last thing you wanted to do was gloat when faced with a demon or a human that possessed one.

Speaking of which…

Vincent opened his mouth to ask the big man about his demon and how he… acquired it, but was cut off by the low rumble of the man's voice.

"My name is Timothy Trilplin." Vincent shut his mouth when he realized that the man was trying to be civil with him and introduce himself. He squeezed the big man's hand.

"My name is Vincent Valentine." Vincent felt the return pressure exerted on his hand, a bit too much, but he ignored it. He was turning the last name of the man over and over in his head, feeling it out. Mae hand never told him her last name. He hadn't asked it and she hadn't offered it. He supposed that it was habit to not tell anyone her last name for her own protection. He was surprised that she'd told him her real first name. He imagined that using a false name wasn't enough to keep Reixez off her tale long enough for her to be bothered.

Timothy watched the tall dark man. He was thinking about something, he could tell by the distant look in his eyes. Though Timothy knew this, he also knew that the moment he made a move the man's eyes would follow him as if possessed. It was the trait of a hunter. Or of the hunted.

Timothy turned and felt the demon in his mind shift. It had been a part of him long enough that he no longer minded the strange thoughts that floated through his mind here and there. Sometimes they were casual thoughts that could have come from his own mind, and other times they floated around his own thoughts like the little news strip at the bottom of the TV. Other times they would interrupt his thoughts, breaking them apart. When this happened it was usually because there was danger in the area, he was being followed, or something else was happening the demon thought he should know.

They weren't always life saving thoughts, sometimes they were rather useless and unexpected. For example, one time the demon interrupted his thoughts about lunch to inform him that the dress on the woman walking down the street was absolutely hideous. Timothy had actually stopped at that one, questioning the demon with his thoughts and watching the woman in the hideous dress walk into a flower shop. The demon explained that the ugly pattern on the dress offended its good taste. Timothy, not knowing what else to do, shook his head and ignored the demon like he always did.

Timothy got a nudge from the demon, bringing him to attention. At first he thought he was getting poked at for the thoughts about the dress, but then he noticed that Vincent had begun to walk and was a few feet ahead of him.

"You asked me if I could keep up," he said, his eyes taking on an eerie glow. Timothy nodded and walked up beside him.

"I did. You said you could. So keep up." Timothy let the demon shift to the top of his mind and felt his being shift. His legs felt like air and that afforded him more speed and freedom of movement. He didn't waste it. Vincent felt his adrenalin spike when Timothy shot off into the distance. He felt the challenge take root in Chaos' mind and the demon's presence in his mind spread out, blanketing his own thoughts.

He did not shift to demon form, as Mae's father had not, but he allowed some changes. As he followed a good 100 feet behind Timothy his wings burst from his back. The small change slowed him for a moment, but then Chaos asserted more control over his body and speed was given to him. His wings flapped, their powerful muscles dipping into his back and taking root into his shoulder blades. Vincent felt the exhilarating feeling of freedom as his feet began to lift off the ground. He slowly began to close some of the distance between him and Timothy.

The older man felt the changes in Vincent's aura and power and grinned. The red eyed man was holding back from transforming. Good, that meant he was much more powerful then he was letting on. Timothy easily floated over the vast canyons formed in the spiked mountain range and sped effortlessly towards the small cave where the smell of blood was overwhelming. Mae's blood. His baby's blood. Anger welled in him, but the big man pushed it down. It he allowed himself to get angry then nothing good would come out of this meeting.

He reached the edge of the flat shelf where the carnage had taken place and pushed the demon's influence into submission. His legs once again became trapped in their fleshy prison and touched solid ground.

Vincent smelled the tang of blood on the air and knew immediately where he was following Mae's dad to. He felt shame and guilt pricking at his mind. Chaos growled at him and pulled back the power he was lending his host. Vincent faltered in the air, his wings losing a bit of strength, but managed to angrily pull Chaos' power back and land gracefully behind Timothy. He pushed the demon into a corner of his mind ignoring the taunting laughter. The demon was irritated with him, but Vincent couldn't figure out why. He'd been restless ever since Timothy had shown up. He didn't think it was because of the big man himself though. It didn't make sense.

Vincent stayed close to the edge of the flat shelf of land, preferring an escape route in case Mae's father decided to be hostile about what was done to his daughter under his care. His back was to Vincent for the moment and no matter what he tried Vincent couldn't seem to catch a whiff of the man's scent or a glimpse of his aura. Both would have been able to tell him whether or not the man was angry or had the intention of starting a fight. The wind had changed direction and now all he could smell was Mae's blood.

His teeth shifted and his fangs dropped. He cursed silently and tried to get control of himself. He was disgusted with his reaction to the smell of Mae's blood and his anger only grew when Chaos began to hum greedily in his mind. Vincent blocked the demon out as best he could, but it was near impossible to block out the demon's humming. He forced himself back to reality and stared hard at Timothy's back, praying for the wind to shift again and take the smell away from him.

Thankfully it did. Timothy turned to face him.

"Boy," he began.

Vincent felt his anger flare at the insinuation that he was a child compared to the man, but let it go. His appearance led the man to that conclusion. It was not worth getting all up in arms about it. He did not let his wings retreat back into him and instead folded them neatly behind him. It was not meant as a threat or challenge or as a display of power. It just took a lot of energy to pull them back out again and it was easier to keep them at the ready for the flight back to the Inn.

Timothy did not turn to face Vincent, but rather kept his back to him. It made it easier to talk to the younger man. He was not used to talking at length with anyone. He'd had a hard time with it when his family was still alive. Silence and the demon in his head had been his only companion over the past few years. He did not have to struggle to find the words to say, but he struggled with saying them right.

"What happened here? To my daughter, what happened?" Vincent had to struggle to hear him over the wind and the humming in his head.

"She was taken here by Reixez," he began. "She tried to keep us safe by leaving and he took advantage of that." He saw Timothy's shoulders twitch at the mention of Reixez. "He's been following her, hunting her."

"What did he do to her here?" Timothy said with a touch of anger. The smell of blood was beginning to get to him. Vincent thought the anger was directed at him and felt his shame grow.

"He tortured her," he said his voice thick with anger and guilt. "He forced her to take a demon into her body and then he ripped its wings out of her back, forcing her to transform." Vincent paused to gain control of the anger bubbling up in his chest. "She didn't fully transform thank the gods. She wasn't fully integrated with the demon yet. He tried to rush it and ended up frying her senses instead of making her transform."

Timothy growled, the low sound coaxed a growl from Chaos. Vincent's fangs were now fully visible, though it wasn't from the smell of blood anymore. It was because he wanted to rip Reixez's head off for what he did.

Sensing his anger, Timothy turned around and took a good look at Vincent. The dark man's eyes were almost completely red, his pupils contracting until they were barely visible. His fangs had dropped and his fists were clenched with anger. His power lapped at the ground and air surrounding him and Timothy could feel it, popping and crackling like electricity.

Timothy felt a bit of the fear for his daughter ebb. The red eyed man was angry about what had been done to her, and he had power. Nothing near what Reixez had, he was a very old demon, a walking plague that had been around far too long, but he might be able to help Timothy put an end to the bastard.

"How did she get away from him?" Vincent relaxed a little when he realized what he was doing. He pulled back his power and closed his eyes, reaching inside himself for the calm facade he usually put on. It was hard for him to do that when Mae was involved. Another reason that his feelings for her were becoming dangerous. Dangerous because they made him more passionate in every aspect of things, and anger was one of them. No one needed another angry demon on the loose. He let his breath out and some more tension slipped away.

"She didn't… at least I don't think she did." Vincent ran his hand through his hair, on edge from his feelings, the smell of blood, and the memories of Mae cowering from him and yet lusting for his blood, her self hatred and fear driving at him. "When I got there she was alone and he had gone already." He knew the next question before Timothy even had the chance to voice it. "I didn't go after him."

"Why?" There was anger in that question and Vincent looked up at him defiantly.

"Would you have left her there to bleed to death or go insane from blood lust? I think not."

Vincent watched an interesting wave of emotions cross Timothy's face before the mountainous man nodded sagely. "I see."

"_You see what?" _Vincent wanted to ask. He held his tongue.

* * *

**:: Booo ya!**


	30. Its Complicated

**:Well I normally wait to write this stuff after I've already uploaded the document and then I go and edit it and then post it. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get internet at all right now. Sigh… I'm gonna have to invest in one of those little internet card thingies cause I'm tired of not having internet or having to battle tooth and nail for it. I can get it for 2 minutes then I have to disconnect, repair the connection and then attempt whatever I was doing AGAIN. Its rather annoying and very time consuming.**

**Sooo yeah. If anyone knows where I can get one of those internet things at a decent price that will ACTUALLY WORK, let me know. I'd look for one but I don't have internet! Lol. Well on to the next pressing issue.**

**-SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT- Many of my readers have asked whether or not there was gonna be a smut scene or something like that. Well there will be! *people cheering in background* Yeah, yeah, I've never written a sex scene before so it should be interesting. Ummm, I'm not going to post it here. I don't want to risk the wrath of the fanfiction editor/moderator peoples so for those of you who want to read it, you are going to have to do a little something extra.**

**If you want to read the extra chapter with smut scenes, you are going to have to email me, let me know in the title you are a fanfiction reader, make sure I have a way to email you back, and I will send you the file. It's not written yet, but whoever wants the extra chapter who emails me will get it when it's finished. This way I avoid the people who don't like sex scenes and the wrath of the fanfiction Mods. I might have this labeled as mature, but I know they can be picky.**

**my email address is on my main profile -END SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT-**

**EDIT: **** The smut chapter has been posted so no need for you to worry ^_^ Lol, kept the original announcement for nostalgic purposes XD**

**Ok I'm done with that, on to my reviewers!**

**SweetxPandemonium**** – Lol I'm glad you think so highly of my writing skills. I think I might die of stress if they asked me to do the next final fantasy movie though O.o haha I'm a big weeny lol. I get stressed out over nothing, just imagine me, all hopped up on caffeine, sitting there holding my script which is getting torn to pieces by the editors. I think I'd keel over lmao!**

**Dreamer-girl-reana**** – Hey, I understand completely. Family takes precedence always. If you ever need anyone to talk to I'm here! You can email me whenever you need to vent ok? Family stuff can be hard. Thanks for sticking with my story, its an honor.**

**Caos-lust**** – *watches Vincent running away* -.-' wow, just wow. Lol. I can't wait to read what you've written! I don't get to check my email often thanks to the evilness of the illusive internet monster, but I'll get around to finding an internet card thingy eventually! Lol. I can get it if I balance my laptop on the TV sometimes… Yeaaah, lets just say I got bored XD**

**Ladey Jezzabella**** – Yay! New reviewer! Here, *gives u cookies* you gets the honorary new reviewer cookies! They might b a little stale, but hey cookies are awesome no matter what! I'm hyper O.o Just a little… hehehehe**

**Chapter 30**

Mae waited until all of the black spots in her vision went away and then she tentatively sat up, using the bath tub as support. Her head was throbbing, but at least the chill had retreated a bit. While the result was promising, she doubted she would enjoy inflicting head injuries whenever she wanted her demon to back off. Grumbling, angry, frustrated and upset, Mae sat herself on the toilet seat and placed a towel on the floor before attempting to stand again. She peeled off her clothes and threw them in a heap on the floor.

She stepped into the shower only to jump out of the water's reach. The skin on her stomach burned under the powerful pressure coming from the shower head. Mae bent over, shielding her belly and reached under the spray to turn off the shower head. She would just get a bath instead.

It would have been a good plan, but apparently her back was still sensitive from where her wings had been ripped through her skin. She cried out, but bit her lip and hit the little switch. The water began to fall from the low spigot and the bath tub slowly began to fill up. Mae shakily grabbed the side of the porcelain tub and lowered her abused body into the water. It rose slowly enough that her chilled skin adjusted fairly quick to the warm temperature.

The steam and the sound of running water drown out the other sounds of the Inn and Mae began to relax. The heat of the water, now up to her chest, was helping her sore muscles relax. The chill in the corner of her mind was so minimal that she easily ignored it. The aches and pains in her body were beginning to throb though, and the relaxing feel of the warm water lapping around her began to lose its effect.

As she sat there Mae couldn't help but think about how distant Vincent had acted. But he had followed her. Was it because he felt obligated to? Or was it something else? No, she couldn't allow herself to think that way. She was a danger to them all, and lasting relationships should have never been thought of let alone formed. Maybe Vincent had realized that. That one day she would leave them in the night, or that one day Reixez would finally catch up to her and tire of their game of hide and go seek.

She felt the tears well up again. Why? Why was she letting him get to her? Why was she letting herself feel for him? She knew the risks of staying with them, the risk that she might begin to get comfortable around them, that she might begin to believe them when they told her they could help her, the risk that she might begin to care for them.

Well, that last part is a lie. She knew she would care about them, even if she didn't want to. She held a high regard for human life. That can happen to a person who has seen too much death. It can also happen to anyone who's ever lost a loved one, or even someone who is just to connected to life. She happened to be all of the above.

The worst part was that even though she didn't want to admit it to herself, she had fallen in love with Mr. Vincent Valentine, but even as she denied it, her heart throbbed and told her loud and clear. Mae you stupid fool, you've gone and fallen in love. Now what are you going to do?

Her mind screamed to flee from them and save them from Reixez's wrath, but her heart screamed to stay and cling to Vincent as if her life depended on it. The saddest part was that she knew that her life never depended on anything. It would be taken from her eventually. The only person who's life depended on it was Vincent. If Reixez ever found out… no, if he even _suspected_ her of loving him, Vincent would be taken from her in a heart beat. Reixez wouldn't be quick about it either. He never was when it came to her.

Mae watched dejected as her tears rolled off of her cheeks and into the water. It rippled and all she saw was a sad sorry excuse for a woman. A woman who's days were numbered. A woman who wouldn't take charge and do what was necessary to save those she'd begun to care about because she was a weak coward. She was weak for having these uncontrollable urges to go running into the arms of a man who didn't have the same feeling and urges.

As the thoughts of self loathing rolled through her head Mae began to cry, and she hated herself for that too. She knew that these thoughts weren't completely hers, or at least she hoped they weren't. She wished that everything would go away and be simple again. But nothing was simple anymore. Vincent had changed that. It was no longer run and hide and live another day, it was much more complicated. She cursed him loudly and slipped under the water to scream.

She hated that she was blaming him, so she blamed herself, but she knew that was wrong too, so she blamed Reixez. It was all his fault in the end and she knew that nothing would get better until she was finally rid of him. But could she kill him? No, she already knew that answer. He was much to powerful, much to cunning for her to kill him. Fighting him would only lead to death, she'd found that out the hard way once already. She would have died if it hadn't been for Vincent.

Vincent… her thoughts just kept returning to him didn't they? It was strange, every-time she thought of him, or was near him, everything felt different, sharper, more powerful. Her emotions were so intense now. She hadn't really thought about it until now, hadn't really had time, but ever since she began to grow close to him, things had changed. Her pain was more painful, her sorrow almost unbearable, her joy unmatched, her anger more passionate. The only thing that had decreased instead of increasing was her fear.

Fear. Her fear was the only thing that had kept her wise over the past few years. Fear had kept her alive and still running more then once. Still, it felt good to be able to sleep at night not worrying whether or not you are going to wake up or not. She'd slept better in the company of Vincent and his friends then she had since her flight from her home town.

Mae's tears silently retreated and all she felt was fatigue, and plenty of it. She pulled the plug and turned the water off. As the dirty water drained she wrapped herself up in a white towel and opened the door to her room. The cold air hit her and she shivered. She expected the chill in her blood to return, but it did not. As a matter of fact, she barely felt the demon in her mind. It must be resting. She yawned and wearily toweled off her hair and body.

Still damp and completely unclothed, being as she didn't have any to replace the dirty ones in the bathroom, she crawled into the small twin bed and drifted off to sleep. Maybe if she was lucky, she would wake up in the morning and hear the clang of dishes as her mother cooked breakfast and the deep rumble of her dad laughing while her sister played loudly with her dolls. Maybe in the morning she won't feel so sad. Maybe she won't feel so very alone.

* * *

Vincent walked down the hall looking for an empty room. Yuffie and Red were in the double room at the end and Mae was one room down from them. The other two rooms in the hall were occupied. One by Tifa and Cloud and the other by Cid. Mae's father had decided to relieve Cloud from his shift. He'd volunteered to be look out all night, which meant that he would have the opportunity for some good sleep. Vincent sighed. He wasn't going to sleep tonight. There was one empty room, right next to Mae's.

He couldn't be sure or not if the room selection had been done on purpose to place his room next to Mae's, but he sure wanted to blame Cid, Cloud and Tifa for it. He quietly let himself into the small room. He was almost disappointed to see that there wasn't a door connecting the two rooms, but that though was banished by a growl. Chaos rolled over in his mind and Vincent could feel his disapproval at the noise. Vincent ignored the demon, angry with it for its earlier prank.

He kicked off his shoes and then proceeded to take off everything but his black pants. He usually slept in them, but when he remembered that he wasn't sharing a room, he decided to lose them completely. In his boxers he crawled into the small twin bed. He grumbled when his feet hung over the end of the small bed and rolled onto his side, pulling his feet back under the blanket. He laid his head on the pillow and watched the curtain on the window move as the air from outside, cool and light, tossed it around a bit. Every once in a while he caught sight of the moon.

No matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to settle down enough for sleep. He just wasn't tired. He knew he would be in the morning, but he certainly wasn't right now. His mind wasn't being overly active, but it kept bringing up thoughts that he didn't want to think about right now. Mae, primarily. He kept remembering her face, the anger in her eyes as she looked at him, then the pain before she came upstairs. The image of her face brought back so many memories of the short time he'd known her.

One memory in particular brought fear, strong and unnerving, when Yuffie's shuriken flew, blade first into her chest. Suddenly the urge to go into Mae's room and hold her tight against him was tugging at him powerfully. He sat up in bed, put on his pants and walked to her door before he came back to his senses. His hand rested on the door knob uncertainly.

It didn't mean that he _cared_ about her in any special way, it just meant that he was worried about her safety… right? Vincent let go of the door knob and walked back to his door. He opened it and stepped inside, closing it silently behind him. He sighed and leaned his head against the dark wood. Thoughts began pouring through his mind.

It's only because she's in danger and can't defend herself fully yet due to her injuries. It's only because her life was almost lost twice in the past two days. It's only because she's still weak and unable to fully control her demon yet. It's only because Yuffie and Red are sleeping right next door and both of them tried to kill her. It's only to protect her from them and Reixez.

His feet brought him back to her door. He knocked lightly.

"_**It's only because you love her, stupid **_**_human. "Chaos_** grumbled to himself. He wanted to materialize and hit Vincent upside the head for being a stubborn human male, but knew that if he did that and told him that his feelings for that other human woman were not the simple feelings one gets just from protecting another and that he needed to grow up and tell her, he would run away and lose her. He also knew that under normal circumstances he shouldn't care, but there was something about the girl's demon that intrigued him. That made the stupid human's emotions about the girl important. Plus killing Reixez was key to staying close to the female human, and he did want to kill Reixez. He didn't like competition.

There was no answer at the door and Vincent almost walked away, until he thought about why she might not be answering the door. Fear gripped him and he opened the door… or he tried to. It was locked. Breaking it down at this point would be inappropriate until he knew the full situation, so he returned to his room and started pacing. He could be over reacting. She seemed tired, she could be sleeping. Of course she said that she was a light sleeper, so even the slightest noise, a knock at the door, should have woken her.

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted in that room. A blast of cool wind blew the dark curtains open and the light of the moon stopped Vincent in his tracks. The window. Vincent walked over and looked out of the window and to the side. Mae's window was open and not far from his.

A few moments later Vincent was peaking his head into Mae's room curiously. It was dark and his eyes weren't adjusting due to the bright light of the moon, so he stepped in and closed the curtains. Almost immediately he could see clearly again. He saw her clothes strewn about carelessly and could smell the blood all over them. The bathroom door was open and he could still smell the water and soap from Mae's shower/bath. He also smelled the tang of blood from when she hit her head and was alarmed. When he turned the lights on he spotted a bit of it on the side of the bathtub.

He spun around and saw Mae standing, a blanket wrapped haphazardly around her holding her sword at the ready.

* * *

Mae hadn't heard him come in, but she almost had a heart attack when the lights in the bathroom came on. Her eyes were blurry from sleep, but she managed to grab her sword, which had been on the floor next to the bed and quickly wrap the sheets around her. She knew that if things got rough that they'd probably just fall down, but she'd rather not kill whomever it was naked, especially if it was Reixez. He might get the wrong idea and take advantage of her vulnerable state.

The person in the bathroom was facing her, but she couldn't tell who it was because of the light and the sleep still in her eyes. She couldn't focus her blurry vision enough to distinguish who it was, but if they tried to get near her, she could see well enough to kill them. Or at least try.

"Mae?"

Vincent. It was Vincent. She didn't lower her sword, this time out of fear. She didn't know what to do, what to say to him, how to react.

"V… Vincent?" She wanted to kick herself, her voice sounded so little. He took a step towards her, raising his hands.

"Hey, calm down, put down the sword," his voice was calmer this time, coercing. It made her even more nervous.

"Go away Vincent," she said shakily.

"Why was there blood in the bathroom?" His voice was still calm and had a soothing note to it. Mae began shaking.

"I hit my head by accident," she said for lack of an excuse. She still felt like a clumsy dolt, but something in his voice just made her want to tell the truth. Maybe he'd give up and go away.

Vincent took another step forward, Mae took one back.

"Why don't you put the sword down and relax, Mae. You know I would never hurt you." While he said this he took another step forward. Mae backed up more. She was only a foot from the bed.

She wanted to say something smart like, "Oh really?" or "How do I know that?" but she knew she'd be lying to herself. She knew Vincent wouldn't hurt her, but she just felt stupid saying it. It felt like a defeat, no matter how illogical that sounded. She shook her head and took another step back. Vincent quickly made up the distance with two steps.

"Stop Vincent," Mae pleaded, her voice weary.

"Why? What's wrong with you?" Vincent said losing his patience.

"What's wrong with you?" Mae retorted, pain from his rejection of her earlier surfacing. "You are the one acting strange! What do you want from me?" Tears from earlier began to run down her face.

Vincent stopped, looking away. He didn't have an answer to her question. He didn't know what he wanted. Still, he knew what he wanted right now. He took another step towards her.

"Go away!" She stepped back and her legs buckled when they hit the bed. Vincent was over her in a second and her sword was taken from her. Panic replaced every other thought or feeling she'd had in her head and she began to claw and push at him desperate to get as far away from him as possible. She didn't want him to see her tears, didn't want him to see her pain. She was too ashamed.

Vincent grabbed both of Mae's arms and pinned them above her head. "Mae! Mae, stop it! Calm down, calm down."

Mae stopped fighting, but turned her head away and scrunched her eyes, desperate to hide from him. She didn't want him to see her, and even worse, she felt the need to touch him and hold him growing worse by the second as he laid on her. She was naked beneath the sheets and was distinctly uncomfortable with that fact. And, from the feel of him, Vincent was shirtless. This was becoming a very bad situation.

Vincent noticed the tears on Mae's cheeks. He figured she was angry with him, but now he didn't know what to think. He did know that he didn't like the fact that she was crying. Since his hands were otherwise occupied with keeping her from scratching his eyes out, Vincent nuzzled her cheek with his lips, licking away her tears. He didn't know why he'd wanted to do such a strange thing, but when Mae shivered at the touch he knew he wanted to do it again.

Mae whimpered when he got close again and he pulled back. He sighed and laid his head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong Mae?" he said wearily. He felt her shake her head. "Please tell me?"

"There's nothing wrong…"

Vincent snapped. "Gods be damned, I can't help you if you won't tell me!"

**:: We now have the answer to that eternal question! Boxers or briefs lol XD .**

**God I love cliff hangers! Woohooooooo! Muahahahahahahahahaha! Also, for those of you not getting the extra chapter (whether it's because you don't want it or whatever) ****you're gonna have to wait an extra amount of time for the next chapter I'm posting here. After all I can only write so much and I have a feeling that this special chapter is gonna take some time. Anywho…... Muahahahahahahahaha! Sorry…. I'm done now O.o ::**


	31. Interbound

Due to popular demand, I'm posting this online finally, and I'm keeping the original introduction :)

**:: This is the "extra super special secret not safe for fanfiction cause it might get me banned smutty smut chapter" for broken wings. This is the real chapter 31. The next chapter I will be posting on Fanfiction is chapter 32. There will be a few things from the beginning and end of this chapter cause I gotta do something for the people who didn't want the smut and not leave a giant hole in the story, but you guys get the actual chapter. Yay!**

**So yeah, anyway, here's the chapter… Oh! And you are more then welcome to leave review for our phantom chappy on fanfiction, or if you want you can email me, its all good. Enjoy!::**

**Chapter 31**

"You!" Mae shouted, her emotions caving in on her. "You are my problem!" Vincent's hold on her arms loosened in stunned disbelief. Mae tore them from his grip and roughly grabbed him. She pulled him to her and did what she'd been dying to do since they'd gotten back from the mountain range. She kissed him. His mouth had been open slightly, in surprise or because he'd been about to say something. She didn't care either way as Vincent had finally gotten with the program and kissed her back.

She sighed in relief when he didn't push her away. Instead his warm weight slowly settled down on her as Vincent leaned into the kiss. His scent was all around her, his hands moving up and down her waist, sending shots of heat up and down her body. Mae, still fearful he would try to pull away had tangled her hands into the long silky locks of his hair, holding him to her. Her knuckles were white and her kisses hungry and desperate.

Vincent pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss. Mae felt a surge of fear, untangling her hands from his hair so she could grab his shoulders to keep him from moving away. Her eyes pleaded with him to spare her the cruel words she knew were coming, but then she felt the fear receed, shame replacing it as she realized how she was acting. She released him quickly and fell back onto the bed, averting her eyes. The instinct to run away and curl up into a little ball under the bed caused her to sit up. She felt her cheeks burning and looked at the wall, fearful he would see the pain and desperation in her eyes.

Vincent was confused at first from Mae's reactions. He was wound up from the passionate kiss they'd shared and his brain was taking its sweet time processing what just happened. He could swear that his body was on fire, and he knew that he wanted to kiss the infuriating, confusing frustrating woman in front of him again. His spirits might have fallen at her words, but when she reached up and roughly kissed him, he felt as if he was going to leap out of his body. His heart was pounding and his skin was itching to touch hers again.

He watched Mae sit up. Her hair slid forward, shadowing her face and letting the dark curls cascade over the ivory skin of her shoulders. The sheets she'd precariously wrapped around her slipped a little, revealing more skin and the tip of the scar on her shoulder and Vincent was unable to stop himself from reaching forward to kiss it.

Mae sucked in her breath as the little touch sent a shot of warmth through her. Her whole body suddenly urged to be shoved up against Vincent as close as possible. And then some. She felt the heat travel up to her face. Her blush spread as Vincent's kisses ran over her shoulder to her neck.

Vincent could hear Mae's breathing getting shorter, and he could hear her heart beating faster. It excited him that he could have this kind of an effect on her and decided that he didn't give a shit anymore about what he should and shouldn't do. His inhibitions had flown out the window the moment he'd seen Mae standing there in nothing but a sheet and branding a sword, ready to slice him to shreds if he came to close.

He began to nibble at the smooth skin covering Mae's collar bone, and began to nibble and lick his way up her neck. She shivered, her whole body tingling and tight as his kisses moved up her neck. The air felt cool on her heated skin, and Vincent's warm hands, sliding up her bare arms with their tantalizing warmth was driving her crazy. She wiggled and moved against him, her hands pulling and pushing him, unsure of what she wanted. The fire in his body and the passion for Mae had caused him to become very excited and he barely suppressed a moan when her leg accidentally brushed against his erection.

Mae felt Vincent stiffen and his breath catch and quicken against her neck. She didn't know what she'd done to get that reaction but she sure as hell wanted to find out. She tried moving around again, but Vincent had already gone back to driving her batshit with his kisses and nibbles and, oh... he'd just caught her ear lobe between his teeth and was worrying it gently.

Her hands, of their own accord had begun to explore the hard lines of his warm chest. She was fascinated with the taut skin that covered Vincent's lightly muscled body, his broad shoulders and handsome jaw line that begged her to nibble at. She wanted nothing more then to run her hands over the smooth skin, memorizing the contour of every muscle until she fell asleep. But with Vincent kissing and nibbling at her neck, sleep, no mater how exhausted she was, was the furthest thing from her mind.

She wasn't quite sure what she wanted from him, but she was damn sure that she was going to get it whether he liked it or not. He was driving her mad with all of his attentions, retreats and infuriating passion. She went lower and her hands brushed a very warm and very hard bulge in his pants. Vincent shuddered and she felt his breathing catch again. Mae cupped his heat and rubbed up against it, milking more exciting reactions out of him. His hips shot forward and he moaned, his head dropping to her shoulder and his muscles trmbling. She felt desire pool in her stomach and she moved her hand against him again.

Faster then Mae could see Vincent grabbed her hands and held them at her sides. He kissed her, his tongue dominating her mouth. She kissed back, their tongues dancing back and forth, each fighting for control. Vincent growled, his hips grinding against hers and Mae gave up, moaning into his mouth. She melted against him, begging him with her body to let her touch him.

Vincent didn't break their kiss, but it became gentle, pulling back occasionally so that he could nip at Mae's swollen lips, or to quickly trail kisses to her neck or collar bone. Mae gasped for air and Vincent pulled back, nuzzling her cheeks and kissing her mouth lightly. He released her hands and she grabbed at his shoulders, pressing her hips up into his erection. Vincent, blind with passion and love (though he wouldn't admit it to himself) wanted nothing more to take her, but one part of his mind managed to slip a piece of reality back into his thoughts. Was this right? Was she ready?

Mae's face was flushed, her hair wild, her eyes clouded with passion for him, but even then, he had to make sure. Vincent leaned away from her, sitting up. Mae went to follow, trying again to kiss him, but he gently pushed her back to the bed, merely hovering over her.

"Mae…" his voice was rough with desire, his eyes almost glowing. "Are you sure you want this?"

Mae didn't quite know what _this_ was, but she had a good idea. As ignorant as she was, she knew that this was the prelude to sex, and all she knew right now was that she wanted the mad desire coursing through her for his touch to be sated.

"Yes," she said, her voice husky. "I want this…" she reached up and kissed him, and Vincent was lost.

He tore the sheets covering her nakedness away. Before she could cover herself Vincent had moved down and began to suckle her breast. All thoughts of decency left and she threaded her fingers through his hair, gasping and begging for more. Normally she would be ashamed of begging for anything, but her mind was overwhelmed with the sensations Vincent was giving her. He moved to the other breast and she got impatient. She pulled him up, using his hair as leverage and brought his mouth back to hers.

Vincent would have none of it though and moved back down. This time he didn't stop at her chest, but moved down to her stomach where the branding that Reixez had carved and burnt a circle into her skin was, as well as the wicked scar that ran from her shoulder to her belly button ended. There was momentary panic in Mae's eyes and she covered what she could of them with her hands.

Vincent removed her hands, kissing the backs and moving to her fingers, lightly taking one into his mouth and sucking it. Mae felt the warmth that had left her in her moment of panic return. Vincent's eyes locked with hers as he sucked her finger into his mouth and wrapped his tongue around it. They were pools of molten heat and Mae wanted nothing more then to drown in that heat, to be wrapped in it forever. She remembered to breathe and Vincent broke the contact, distracting her with feather light kisses to her tummy, taking the time to kiss the outline of both her scars, and then moved lower.

When he reached the core of her sex she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands to keep from crying out. She spared one hand to grab his hair and pull him away. Instead she ended up threading her fingers into his silky hair and encouraging him with quiet noises and upward movements of her hips. When she thought she couldn't stand it anymore Vincent stopped and moved back up to kiss her.

Mae was gasping and trying not to make any noise, but she couldn't help the contented moan when Vincent began to kiss her again. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer and rubbing herself on the bulge in his pants, knowing that it was driving him crazy. Vincent growled and sent shocks of pleasure down Mae's spine. She used what little leverage she had and flipped him onto his back.

Vincent allowed Mae to flip him over. He wanted to dominate her, his whole body was screaming to do it, but he let her perch herself on him out of curiosity. He wanted to see what she had in mind. Mae looked into his eyes and he knew that he would let her do whatever she wanted to him. God he had it bad. He could imagine Cid sitting there laughing and telling him he was whipped, but all thought was banished from his mind when a blast of cool air hit his erection.

While he'd been daydreaming Mae had deftly undone his pants and pulled his boxers down a bit. The head of his erection was laying heavily on his stomach and it jerked under her heated stare. Vincent shifted a little and pulled down his pants more. Mae pulled them off. He smiled at her impatience, but it faded a little when she curiously touched him. He swallowed hard. He was fighting the urge to take her now, hard and fast. She was driving him crazy with her light touches and gorgeous aqua eyes, riveted so intently on him.

Mae reached out and took the heavy erection in her hand, lightly running her hand up and down the shaft once. She faintly heard Vincent's choked breath. She'd never seen a man like this before and she wasn't sure exactly what she was supposed to do. She moved up and down the shaft again, this time paying attention to Vincent's reaction. His head was thrown back and his hips moved up into her grip faintly. She smiled and stopped moving, waiting for Vincent too get impatient and look up. When he did she took him into her mouth.

Vincent's eyed bulged and he moaned, falling back into the pillow under his head. _"Oh good gods, she did NOT just do that!"_ the moist heat pulled back and Vincent warily sat up again. The moment he made eye contact with Mae again she descended back down and took him into her mouth again, this time sucking lightly.

"M… Mae…" he moaned, this time not looking away, knowing she would only stop again. His breath flew past his clenched teeth, and he stifled another low moan as her devilish tongue wound up and down his erection.

His hips jerked up into her mouth and Mae almost gagged. Vincent's hands were suddenly in her hair. Afraid he would pull her away she took more of him into her mouth. His moan was louder this time, but she could hardly hear it over the pounding of her heart and the pulsating desire that flooded her at the sound.

Vincent finally pulled her away from his member which fell heavily to his stomach and pulled her up to his mouth. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and flipped her over onto her back, giving into his desire to dominate her. He nudged her legs apart and settled himself between them, pushing the head of his sex into her, not all the way, but just enough for her to feel him.

Mae moaned quietly at this, and he found he wanted to hear her voice. She was trying to be quiet and he wanted to hear her cry out her pleasure, so that everyone knew that she was his. He pushed into the warmth of her body, only to pull back. Mae's hands were tangled in his hair again, holding him to her lips where they were both kissing each other greedily. She moved her hips against his, telling him silently to stop teasing her. He smiled against her lips and moved into her again, a little further this time, only to pull back again.

Mae gave up trying to get his attentions through kisses and turned his head to the side to kiss and lick his neck where she'd bitten him just a short time ago. The hunger for his blood was there, but it wasn't powerful. She nibbled at the mark there, almost completely healed and felt a surge of triumph when Vincent moaned and slid into her again. It was only the head of him though, and he pulled out again, driving Mae absolutely crazy with desire for him. She nibbled his earlobe and reached down to his hips, pulling at him, trying to get him to take her like she knew he wanted to. When he entered her and pulled back again she was done playing nice.

What she did next stunned and thrilled him. She bit him.

Mae suckled lightly and Vincent shuddered, moaning in her ear and grasping at her. She pulled back and licked the bite mark, gasping when Vincent finally gave her what she was asking for. He pushed into her, slowly and carefully, his breath hissing between his teeth as he fought to keep from pounding into her fast and hard.

Mae felt the large member slide into her and almost sighed in relief, until it kept going. It was large and she felt her body stretching to accommodate his size. She gasped as he jerked and filled her with one last movement. It hurt a little and she dug her nails into his shoulders, willing him not to move. She clung to him and was willing to wait until the pain went away before she asked him to pull back again.

Vincent wasn't so patient. She'd wound him up a little too much and he pulled out until just the head of him was in her and then thrust back in. Mae cried out softly, surprised at the jolt of pleasure it sent through her. Vincent was now nibbling at her neck and murmuring in her ear. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but she knew that she didn't want him to stop.

"Vincent…" she gasped. "Please…?" his mouth was on hers and then he began to move faster. The faster he moved the stronger the sensations were. Soon they were both clinging to each other as the waves of pleasure over took both of them. It wasn't long before Mae felt a pressure building in her and her hold on Vincent grew tighter until she felt as if she was going to explode. She cried out into Vincent's mouth as she came, her body pulsated around him. Vincent moaned as Mae's body tightened on his member and drove him over the edge.

He dropped his head into the crook of Mae's shoulder, his body shuddering as he rode out his orgasm, his soft little cries that he'd tried so hard to hold back making Mae smile. She felt Vincent stiffen, shudder and fall limp on top of her. He was heavy and it made it hard for her to breathe, but she wouldn't have had it any other way. She wanted to crawl into his arms and stay there forever. Peace, warm and serene washed over her and her fatigue made a hasty return. She didn't mind it this time. She felt safe and whole for the first time in her life.

**:: You gotta admit it was nice of me to not leave you hanging this time ^_^ Special thanks to all of you guys. I'm going to now say a few random things, addressed to a few random people…you will know who you are!**

**Ahem… Never down your own writing abilities. I've been writing for years, and I've not always been this… I wouldn't say good with my writing, but rather, creative. It takes a lot of development and time for you to find your own style. If you want to improve, don't get discouraged. Keep writing. Read a lot too, that helps, but don't down youself.**

**Also! If you want creative criticism on your writing, drop me an email with a sample of it. I'm not mean, and I will give you tips on how to improve your writing. **

**TIP #1: **_**The next time you read a book, pay attention to how the characters interact. Also, the next time you are around a friend, pay attention to how you react. Imagine yourself to be in certain situations and how you would react and you will never have a Mary Sue. Humans, real humans, are the hardest to write about. Why? They are unpredictable. Depending on what kind of day they've had or what mood they woke up in, they could be two totally different people and do a myriad of different things. **_

_**Take Mae for example. In the beginning of the story, she had light goofy moments, and she came off as strong. Now she seems vulnerable and is second guessing herself. As you develop your character, keep in mind how a person similar to their personality type would react. **_

**A simple thing in thought, but it is really hard to do. Take your time with it, read and re read your work a few times and add or subtract bits and pieces until you are satisfied.**

**TIP #2 :**_** Try using new words. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy. If you use the same words too many times it gets repetitive and boring. **_

**Meh, that's all I can think of right now. Meh, tired… Alright, lets see how this email works out…**


	32. Cutter

**:Sorry for the delay everyone. I've been really sick the past 15 days and there seems to be no end in sight. everytime I think I'm getting better or better, it comes back worse then ever. Sigh. I'm tired and stressed and frustrated. I don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter. This one starts where the smut one leaves off. If there are any readers who didn't get the smut chapter and are confused as to what happened, email me (my email is on my profile), let me know, and I'll send you a modified chapter. If not, leave a review and I'm sure one of the other readers wouldn't mind summing it up for you.**

**Sorry about the delay of this chapter and the one that will most likely postpone the next one. I have to focus on what might be wrong with me, being as the doctors at the ER and my own doctor don't seem to have a clue. I'm going to see a different doctor (today hopefully) and maybe he will be more helpful. Wish me luck.**

**(sorry, I know you guys emailed me and posted reviews, but I don't have the energy to respond to them. I really aprreciate the responces though, and I will do something extra special for you guys when I get better)**

**Chapter 32**

"I love you…" she said softly as sleep claimed her. She didn't notice Vincent stiffen, she was already gone. He lifted himself off of her and looked at the serene countenance gracing her face. Sighing, he climbed off of the bed and put his pants on. He then walked back to the bed and picked Mae up, hating how light she felt in his arms, took her into the bathroom and cleaned her up before bringing her back and laying her on the bed. He pulled the blankets up and sat on the bed, watching her for a long time, unsure of what he was feeling, of what he was going to do, of what was going to happen. His mind was going in a million different directions and he was ready to pack his things and run away with his tail between his legs like the cowardly cur he was.

The worst part was that his desire to run paled in comparison to the urge to curl up next to her and hold her close to him all night long. His heart burned to be close to her, and his fingers itched to touch her skin and run through her wild raven hair.

Vincent allowed himself to reach out and lightly touch her rosy cheeks. He admired how her dark lashes fanned across the milky expanse of her skin, how her pink lips parted ever so slightly in sleep, how she seemed to lean into his touch ever so sweetly.

Vincent swallowed and looked away. His heart was pounding and his head was abuzz with a traffic jam of thoughts warring against each other. He didn't know what he wanted to do. Hell, he knew what he wanted to do, but he didn't know if it was the right thing to do.

As he fought with himself over whether or not to leave, Mae rolled over and her hand brushed against his. Vincent flinched, but didn't remove his hand. Her tiny delicate fingers twitched and then wrapped his hand up in hers, pulling him closer. He allowed her to take his hand, watching with mixed feelings as she drew it towards her face and placed it gently by her mouth. Vincent was surprised at the raging desire for her to kiss his hand, to give him permission to stay, to trap his heart and keep him close.

He almost tore his hand from her and left, but something stopped him. A small flutter in his mind, not one of his thoughts, but different…

"_Mae…?"_ The small presence in his mind flinched back and Vincent felt himself reach out to it. It was another dream. He stopped himself before touching it. Her dreams were none of his business and it would not be good for him to suddenly appear in her dreams because it would open up a part of her mind and leave her vulnerable. Her demon could not see her dreams as long as he stayed out of them, and he would not take that from Mae. He'd taken enough from her.

Shame hit him like an anvil. She had wanted him, and he her, but he'd known that his decision of whether to stay with her could go either way, and his decision to sleep with her had been a poor one. His heart was still uncertain. He pulled back and a jolt of pain shot through his head. He looked back at Mae and a small wrinkle had appeared on her forehead and her lips had turned down in a frown.

"Mae…?" He said aloud, his voice uncertain. She shivered and inched closer to him. Vincent felt a momentary panic and jerked his head up looking around the room. The window was still open and there was nothing in the bathroom. Vincent got up and closed the window, taking the time to lock it. He then walked back over to the bed, making sure to keep his distance.

Mae's dream seemed to grow stronger the further he was from her. Guilt picking at his heart, he sat back down on the bed and watched her slide over to him in her sleep. He gave up and slipped under the covers, taking her in his arms. He was surprised when the panicky feeling in his heart left him completely, and the straining pain in his mind passed.

He noticed the warmth in his heart, but paid it no mind. He wasn't in love. He couldn't be. He'd stopped being able to love anyone a long time ago.

Sating his mind with these thoughts he wrapped his arms around Mae, who was more then happy to snuggle into his warmth, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Outside their window Reixez seethed with jealous anger. He bared his teeth, jaw clenched, knuckles white and let hiss breath hiss between his teeth. He was barely containing the burning desire to rip Vincent to shreds and beat Mae into a bloody pulp for committing the vile act he'd had the displeasure of witnessing. The demon in his head was roaring its approval of said anger and tried to claw its way to the surface of Reixez's mind, but the man held it back. He took a few deep breaths, the vein in his temple pulsing with the effort to not commit mass murder, and with drew a small blade.

He rolled up the long sleeve of his shirt and placed the blade against his skin, drew it across his upper arm, adding fresh cuts to the deeply ingrained scars there. Each time a new cut appeared a little of his frustration and anger melted away. Blood welled at the cuts, drawing together and then branching to flow down his arms and pool at his finger tips before falling to the ground several feet below him.

He shivered slightly as he withdrew the blade from his skin and lustily licked his blood from the blade. He hummed low in his throat, his eyes closed, and tilted his head back. A small amount of peace settled around him and slowly, reverently, he sheathed the blade.

They would pay. Mae would pay. She loved that vile half demon, and so he would take him from her and kill him slowly, preferably in front of her. Or maybe he could extract the demon from him… then he'd be alive but nothing more then a drooling sack of meat to be cared for. Then maybe he would kill him when she was asleep so that he could wake to her screams.

A wicked smile curved its way across Reixez's face. Oh yes. It would be glorious. She would shatter, all of the pieces of her would disperse and she would be nothing but an empty void. He would fill her with hatred and the desire to kill and then he would take her as his mate,

forcefully and every night if he so desired.

Reixez shivered with delight at his own twisted thoughts and suppressed the mad desire to cackle. It would alert them and he was not ready to deal with them just yet. No… he needed more time for what he planned. Reixez slipped out of the dead oak by Mae's window and slithered off into the darkness.

* * *

A cold wind blew the blanket back from the shivering form of the Young ninja in the room at the end of the hall. She was shaking from more then just the cold. She sat up slowly and the light glinted off a tear that rolled down her cheek. She missed the weight of her katana on her back, but knew that it wouldn't be kept near her after what she had done. Shame and pain bubbled up through her stomach and settled heavily on her heart.

She couldn't stay here. She couldn't face Mae or Vincent. She wouldn't be able to look at either of them ever again after what she'd done…

Mae… was the woman even alive? She didn't know, but she prayed to all the gods that she was. She was pretty sure that Vincent would have killed her otherwise. Vincent. The thought of him brought a thundering pain into her chest and she hugged herself and shook, willing it to go away.

She needed to leave. She didn't want to be here anymore. This place… she knew by the stench of death and Mako that they were in Nibelheim. This place reeked of everything she hated, everything she feared, and everything she needed to distance herself from. She pushed off from the bed and walked into the hall. She crept into Tifa and Cloud's room, but her items weren't there. She then snuck into Cid's room and found them lying casually on the floor next to Venus Gospel. She picked them up and walked back into the bedroom. Red XIII was starting to stir and she quickly put a sleep spell on him with the materia in her shuriken. She was surprised that they had neglected to remove it.

She walked down the hall, remembering the sound of Tifa's scream when Red XIII had attacked her. She didn't remember the full attack because the big cat had put her back to sleep, but that was all she needed to remember. She would leave Red for them to deal with. She had never liked the big cat anyway. She had walked down the stairs and was still lost in her own thoughts when a deep rumbling voice addressed her.

"Who are you? What are you doing down here?"

Yuffie jumped at the noise and looked up to find a large man standing by the open door of the Inn. He was so big that the moon light coming from the door was barely visible behind his bulky frame. She cowered and shook, still disoriented from the sleep spell cast on her, and emotionally spent due to her returning memories. All of her normal spunk was gone.

Timothy watched the distracted young girl jump and then cower under his gaze. He immediately deemed that she was not a threat. The smell of fear and sadness was rolling off of her in waves. It smelled like mold and a dreary day at the ocean. A strange combination that made him frown in thought.

Big brown eyes looked up at him and he sighed. "Do not be afraid, child. I am not going to hurt you."

"Y… you aren't with Reixez are you?" Her voice was tiny and still fearful, but there was a hint of curiosity in it too.

"No." Timothy turned and stepped out into the night. The thin little teen followed him. He turned around and he heard her gasp.

"Your eyes…" she said in a haunted voice. He was puzzled by her reaction. There was more fear in it then recognition. Before he had realized what happened the young ninja had dropped to her knees and clapped her hands together, tears running down her face.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to do it… I wasn't myself!" Timothy took a step towards her and she collapsed on the ground crying that she was sorry and mumbling nonsense about red cats and… Mae?

"Mae? Are you talking about Mae?"

Yuffie didn't run from the big man, her guilt crashing in on her. "I didn't mean to stab her… I wasn't myself… someone else was in my body… I'm so sorry…" Timothy watched the hysterical teen and barely flinched when she said that she had stabbed Mae. He would have been able to smell her blood the moment something happened.

"You must have had a bad dream…" he said awkwardly. He had no clue how to calm the hysterical girl.

Yuffie looked up at the towering bulk of the man with Mae's eyes. He didn't seem all that concerned about Mae's health when she confessed to stabbing her, even said that she'd had a bad dream. That must mean…

"Mae's alive?"

Timothy nodded.

"She's sleeping upstairs."

Yuffie opened her mouth, closed it and then looked up at the big man again.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mae's father, Timothy." The ninja stood up, wiped her tears away, took a deep breath and held out her hand.

"I am Yuffie."

* * *

**:Its a short chapter I know, but I had been planning to release the next one relatively quick. I hope I can still get it to you relatively soon. :**


	33. Of Water and Bubbles

**:Wow. Its been FOREVER since I last updated. Sorry about that by the way but I've been sick -.-' Soooo yeah. They still don't know why I got sick, but my new doctor seems to think that I worried myself sick, literally. Makes sense because if you stress out too much you can cause yourself to get stomach ulcers and other such things like too much acid in your tummy. So yeah, I've gained a little bit of the weight I lost back and have managed to seriously chill out, mostly thanks to my boyfriend, the angel he is. He even went with me when I had to get an ultrasound of my my gallbladder and liver. Still waiting on the results of that, but I don't think its going to show anything.**

**I managed to throw this chapter together for you guys since you've waited oh so patiently, and i promise to give you a nice looooong one after this. It might take a while for me to get it out because I recently got another art job which will help my college book fund and the FIX MY STUPID CAR fund. It now begins to shake if I do anywhere close to 55. Yeah, no more highway for me for a while.**

**PS: Chocolate, shoulder rubs and warm showers are the most relaxing things aside from long walks with good music. Worked WONDERS for me. Oh, and a little bit of love helps too. Do yourself a big favor. Tell the people you care about that you love them. I'm not a big huggy kissy kind of person. Its hard for me to tell my mom I love her, but they need to hear it once in a while, and its nice to hear it in return. I know that was random, but I think it needed to be said.**

**Thanks to Caos-lust and SweetxPandemonium for their encouraging words. You guys are great!**

**Ok, on to the chapter!**

**Chapter 33**

Mae woke feeling cold and drained. She jolted awake, pulling the covers up with her and looked frantically around her room, the night's memories rushing back to her.

It was empty.

Her bed was empty except for her.

She felt her heart plummet, but then she pushed it away. What if it was just a dream?

Dejected and confused, she pushed the blankets away from her violently and slid out of bed. She was halfway to the bathroom when she felt the cool breeze coming from the open window. She froze. Had that window been open when she'd gone to sleep?

She shook her head. She couldn't remember. Quickly she walked the rest of the way into the bathroom shutting the door behind her. Warm arms slid around her waist and she jumped, a scream bubbling in her throat. A hand gently covered her mouth and she was pulled against a warm hard body.

"Shhh…. Its just me…"

Mae felt her body relaxed, then tense up again, unsure of what to expect from Vincent and feeling decidedly awkward thanks to the memories from last night, now flitting unbidden through her head. Her cheeks reddened and she looked down, afraid he might catch her eyes in the mirror.

Vincent saw this and felt a mixed reaction bubble up in his chest. On one hand he felt the need to kiss her until the blush on her cheeks were there out of passion instead of embarrassment and on the other hand he felt hurt that she wouldn't look at him. But then he knew that he wasn't feeling completely committed to sticking around, and she may have picked up on that. Feeling guilty he gently turned her towards him and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm not going anywhere…" As he said it he realized it was true. He didn't want to leave, even though he was afraid of staying. He would never be able to live with the guilt; though that wasn't the real reason he'd stayed. He knew that he loved her now.

He'd thought about it long and hard all night, not getting a wink of sleep, rolling it over and over in his mind. Chaos had pointedly snapped at him for being stupid and then thrust the memory of her smile into his mind. Vincent pushed it away and snarled at him, but Chaos growled and then tortured him by making him relive that morning when Yuffie had attempted to take her life.

Vincent had fought, but when Chaos was done he quietly gave in. He had died inside

when he'd thought she was dead.

He knew.

He knew he loved her. It still felt strange to admit it, awkward and a bit untruthful. At least that's how he perceived it. It's strange how humans are. They yearn and long for something for so long, that when they finally get it they question it and poke and prod at it until they almost lose it before they finally accept it. Other times they reject it completely, choosing instead to go back to wanting and longing for the very thing they rejected, not knowing what they'd passed up.

The more Vincent thought about it, the more he calmed down. He didn't have to go. If he found he didn't love her, he would tactfully say so and they would go their separate ways after Reixez was taken care of. Mae would understand… he hoped.

But he found, the longer he held her, the more he knew that he'd never have to say those words to her. He'd have an entirely different set to say to her, everyday if he felt like it. But those thoughts were for later. He didn't want to think about it anymore, besides, Mae was so very close and he wanted to concentrate on other things now.

Mae however, didn't quite know what to do with herself. She wanted to relax into Vincent's arms but she felt decidedly uncomfortable standing here with him completely naked as he held her in the bathroom. She was cold, but her face felt warm and her body itched to be covered in some sort of clothing. She was very aware that she had shared the most intimate act one could with him last night, and she knew her feelings for him were strong, but she had no clue what he felt. She'd told him last night that she loved him, but he hadn't replied, and she was starting to suspect that he didn't feel the same way.

After all she hadn't asked him. Maybe for him, it was just an act of sex. She hadn't asked for his love, but more rather had thrown herself at him and begged for more. At that thought she buried her face in his chest. She felt ridiculous and she just wanted him to go away and let her curl up in her shower and cry.

Vincent rested his head on hers and held her tighter as if to comfort her.

Finally she let herself relax into his embrace. If he didn't love her, then so be it. She'd go her own way and lick her wounds as far away from him as possible. He'd be in less danger that way. But she wanted to know. She wanted to know so very badly. But could she ask?

No. She didn't think she could. She was afraid of the answer. Her nonchalant thoughts about being able to walk away, strong faced with a smile were very far from what she knew would happen. She'd walk away holding back tears and would flee before he figured it out. Maybe she'd even leave in the night, that way she wouldn't have to face him.

_Coward._ Her mind hissed at her. She mentally told it to shut the fuck up. Lost in her own world she hadn't noticed that the warmth she'd been leaning on had moved away from her. When the cold reached her senses she looked up, eyes wide. Vincent was looking at her funny,

his warm hands on her shoulder holding her at arms length.

"Mae?"

She felt so powerless under his gaze. His red eyes seemed to bore into her, gleaning information that she didn't want them to know, and it seemed that no matter where she hid her thoughts and feelings he could see them. She paled. She didn't want anyone to get that close to her. No one should be that close to her. But why? Why not? Vincent was strong, he could take care of himself. But against Reixez? Ah, but she already knew that it was probably far too late to protect him from that particular threat. He'd come after her. Reixez already knew that he felt something for her, and that she felt something for him. But if he knew…

Mae shivered. God knows the horrors he would rain down on them. There would be no more playing around. He'd be out to kill. Mae wrapped her arms around herself, more to cover up how naked and vulnerable she felt then to calm the cold that was raising goose bumps all over her.

Vincent gathered Mae in his arms again, confused and slightly worried about the way she was acting. He let her go and turned the water in the shower on. Mae's eyes followed him, but he could see that her mind was on other things.

He tested the water, trying to ignore how uncomfortable her stare was making him. When he was satisfied with the temperature he went back over to her and took her hand, prying it away from the skin he now realized she was trying to hide. She was hunched in, trying to make herself look as little as possible, trying to hide as much as she could. He gave a light tug on her arm and led her to the shower. She followed, his touch pulling her from the thoughts monopolizing her attention.

His hand was warm, his face betraying no particular emotion, his invitation easy. There was no obligation here, just a calm invitation. She accepted and stepped into the shower behind him. He pulled her under the spray of the water and closed the curtain. With the water covering her she didn't feel so very naked, and it chased away the tense apprehension and the chill from her body. Vincent went about his business as if she wasn't even there, sparing her glances only when he thought she wasn't looking.

This made her all the more calm. It was no big deal. She didn't mind being naked in body if everything else was protected. So it was fine. She didn't even mind when Vincent soaped up a wash cloth and began to tenderly wash her. She didn't mind his closeness, didn't even mind it when his hands ran over her with an uncanny familiarity, feeling out every curve as if it were priceless and beautiful.

So when he was done cleaning her, she took the wash cloth and began to clean him. She felt detached as she ran the foamy cloth over his broad shoulders, slowing to knead the chorded muscle there a little. She watched her hand guide the soap on the cloth and cover his entire chest, noticing for the first time little scars that she hadn't before. Cuts, gashes and what looked like two bullet wounds that had healed over. Even on his arms there were little imperfections that she

hadn't noticed before. She found that it didn't bother her in the least though, rather, they intrigued her. She felt the need to ask how he got them boil to the surface, but quickly pushed that away, feeling safer to remove herself from the situation and watch from a distance.

She moved down to his private areas, a little thrill jolting through her and pooling in her belly as she remembered the previous night. She didn't bat an eye when Vincent twitched under her light touch and his member began to swell. She continued down past it and washed his long legs, pausing to admire a long twisted scar that ran down one of them.

Without being asked, Vincent turned and allowed her to wash his back. It was a sight to behold. Even though she was trying to stay detached Mae found her fingers slipping from the wash cloth to run over the muscles expanse of his back, admiring the smooth skin there and the small collection of scars.

Relaxing even more as Vincent's eyes were no longer upon her, she stepped up to his back and let her hands touch him lightly, pressing her lips delicately to the curve of his neck.

Vincent shuddered when the feather light kiss touched his skin. His whole body was on fire from her small touches and gentle washing. He had watched her small dainty hands spread the soap all over him, had admired the way the water had hugged and slickened her silky smooth skin. His hands itched to touch her skin again, to smooth out the tangles in her raven hair, to kiss her and admire the way the water clung to her sooty black lashes, the way her eyes softened when he kissed her…

Mae was drawn to the warmth of his body, and pressed herself up against it, loving the small shiver that ran down his spine. She leaned her head against his strong shoulders and sighed. All of the tension left her body and she felt a small weight lifted from her shoulders. No matter what happened she would cherish the memory of last night and this morning. The warm feeling in her chest, the way she felt when he held her, safe, happy and for a moment, loved.

Vincent did not resist the arms that slid slowly around his waist. He wanted to throw them off, turn around and pin her against the wall then proceed to kiss her silly, but he wasn't sure how Mae would take that. She had been acting skittish and shy. He was afraid that he would scare her. He took a deep breath and placed his hands over hers, letting the warm water wash over both of them.

* * *

Neither said a word as they walked downstairs together. Mae was silently fretting over what the others would think, what her dad would think, what Vincent would say. Would he deny her? Would he proclaim that it was nothing? No, she didn't think he would. He might deny their interaction, but he would never willingly tell about it. He came off as a very private person.

Vincent was worried as well about the opinion of their late arrival. Cid being the loud

mouth he was would not have the tact to keep his thoughts to himself, and the last thing he needed was Mae's father to beat him to a bloody pulp.

Luckily for both of them everyone's attention was so focused on Mae's father that they didn't even notice the couple come downstairs.

"She said that she wanted to apologize for her actions and that she was returning to Wutai to recover her honor." Timothy's deep dead pan voice filled the small room. Cid was walking around cursing under his breath and Tifa and Cloud were standing by the late Inn keeper's desk watching the big man carefully.

"She didn't try to kill you or maim you in any way?" Cid said incredulously. Timothy looked at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Why would she do that?" he said as if it were obvious.

"Well why not! She tried to kill Mae!" Cid blurted out. He was about to continue when a strange look passed over Timothy's face.

"She did not. I was here and I smelled no blood. She did not harm anyone."

Cid was about to respond when Mae cleared her throat, moving away from Vincent who'd settled himself by the bar. Everyone turned to look at her including Timothy.

"Enough of that," she said with authority. She shot a meaningful glance to Cid who was about to protest loudly, but Vincent cut him off and shook his head. Cid got the message and shut up, though he still grumbled profusely.

Timothy watched the exchange, his eyes narrowing. Mae saw this and walked over to him.

"I'd like a moment to speak to you," she said softly. Timothy felt his heart soften when he looked at her and nodded. She gave him a small smile and walked out of the Inn. Timothy noticed Vincent's gaze as it followed her out the door. He also noticed the way he fidgeted as if he wanted to follow. He turned away and walked out the door.

* * *

**:Man you guys must be missing the cliffhangers... I haven't done one in quite a few chapters! (that I can remember O.o) I'l have to make up a doozy of a cliffy for the next chapter XD *Laughs maniacally***


	34. One hop, two hop, three hop, four

:: Wow O.o I think I even surprised myself with how fast I popped out this chapter! Soooo yeah, finished it yesterday, debated on whether or not I wanted to wait before posting it, but since I've already finished the next chapter and this one has a nice little surprise at the end I couldn't wait to get all of the furious reviews XD What can I say, I'm an evil evil person, Muahahahahahaha! Ahem... Anywhoddlies, on to the chapter!

**Caos-lust - You are the only reviewer! Thats mostly my fault -.-' I've been horrible with getting out chapters on any kind of schedule and I only gave the last one like two days lol. Yes, and you will have to contend with the mother of all cliffhangers, and yes I'm going to be evil and make you guys wait a week before I put out the next chapter, which will be relatively short and very frustrating XD I don't know why but I wanted to be unusually evil. It's my returning health I swear. Lmao. Anywho, I'm sad to hear you're not feeling well! *tosses Vincent to you holding a plate of steaming cookies* This should make you feel better!**

**Disclaimer - I do not hug trees or maim little animals, no Final Fantasy bishounens were harmed in the making of this fic. Ps: I own no FF, but I do own all original characters, scenarios, story lines etc. Take them and I will make you eat wasps! XP**

**Chapter 34**

Mae felt strange as she watched her long lost father follow her out into the morning sun. How many years had she wished and prayed for her family to be given back their lives… So many nights she spent dreaming of heart worming reunions, miraculous survival, of going back to that moment in time and somehow finding the strength and courage to save her family from their grizzly fate.

And now here was one of those moments. A miraculous survival, a member of her family had been given back to her… and she felt no wash of happiness and love, there were no big smiles and hugs, no backbreaking bear hugs, no nothing. They were there, standing in front of a dusty Inn in the middle of a ghost town being hunted by a ferocious demon… and it was enough.

Mae gave her father a weak smile. Even if the circumstances weren't that great, it warmed her to know that at least he had made it out of that hell hole alive. He had changed though, but then again, so had she. The changes in both of them were a little disserting. They both had in their own ways acquired a demon, and they both had acquired many nightmares and bad memories. Mae could only hope that her father didn't have as many living nightmares as she had. There will still so many that the others didn't know about…

_A small child backed away from Reixez, tears streaming down his little face, his eyes wide with terror, his voice calling out to her in a different language, no doubt pleading with her for help. Reixez smiled and said words that still chilled her to the bone._

"_Either you kill him or I'll rip his skin off his body and slowly dissect him, making sure not to let him die until I'm done pulling all of his less vital organs from his body."_

_Mae felt the bile and hatred rise in her throat. She was not afraid of Reixez at the moment, but herself. She knew what she had to do. She only prayed whatever gods were out there forgave her._

_Slowly she stepped up to the child, tears streaming down her face, and she picked him up. She cradled his thin shivering body to her bosom and shushed him, cooing and telling him in the calmest voice she could manage that everything was going to be ok. She waited until the shivering stopped before she placed her hand softy on the side of his face. Reixez's face lit up in a sadistic smile and his fangs began to grow._

"_Remember what I said, little butterfly… You know I love to keep my word." He licked his lips and his eyes began to dilate then contract into little slits. Mae walked to the wall of the dead end and rocked the child until his eyes closed peacefully. Then she jerked her hand away, holding to his little face. The snap of his neck was barely audible._

_Reixez cackled and left her standing there, still cradling his little body and talking to the_

_small boy softly. Tears were streaming down her face and her hands were shaking._

* * *

Mae's smile faded with the memory and she found tears again at the edge of her eyes. Timothy's eyes empathized with her and he stepped up and took his daughter into his arms. She was still so small and fragile, but he knew that she was also strong. She had faced more in her young life then many in their elder years. He had not known that Reixez still hunted her until his recent run in with Shinra's little red head lackey.

He had been working for them ever since the big one with the sunglasses, Rude, had stumbled across him shortly after his escape from Reixez. Him and the noisy red head Reno had just left a small bar in the slums when they'd stumbled upon him, holding what was left of his youngest daughter. The red head had been disgusted, but Rude had taken pity on him and taken him back to get cleaned up. Their boss had taken an interest in him and gave him a job running errands for them.

He did different jobs for them now.

He got back from a recent job and was waiting to see the President when Reno showed up proclaiming that a black haired girl with blue eyes and an amazing butt had escaped from a raging demon in Junon. Timothy hadn't taken much interest into the story until Reno had pointed out that the girl had very similar eyes to him. He'd then taken the time to choke Reno out of as many details as possible before rushing to Junon. He then followed all the leads he could find to Nibelheim.

And here she was. The last piece of his family, the one he'd given his humanity to save. And she was alive. For years he'd been looking for a grave, but instead he found a flesh and blood woman. And she was whole, not mutilated or destroyed like Reixez said she'd be if he ever found her.

He gave her a light squeeze before stepping back to look into her face. His little Mae had changed. Her eyes were harder then they were before, her skin pale and drawn, and lines of pain marked her forehead. She had circles under her eyes and was far too thin. His eyes picked up the long scar on her shoulder and he felt anger flare through him.

He pulled back the strap of her tank and found that it ran down her back. Mae stopped him from going any further and calmly lifted up her shirt, showing him the trail ending at her belly button. She must have forgotten the other scar recently bestowed upon her from Reixez because her father's growing anger surprised her a little. Then she looked down and remembered the other mark that he'd given to her.

"Reixez did this?" Mae flinched even though his voice was even and his tone calm.

"Yes," she said softly. She pulled her shirt down quickly and fiddled with the metal chain hanging from two of the belt loops on her black jeans. She normally didn't wear all black, but it blended in well in a crowd and even better at night. Plus, blood doesn't show up as much on black clothing. Gods, when the hell did THAT become criteria for new clothing?

Mae shook her head and pushed those thoughts away.

"Father…" No, she didn't like that, sounded to formal. "Dad…" she tried. Yes, that sounded better. "I need to know… has Reixez been following you?" Timothy turned his mind away from the murderous thoughts wandering through them and focused on his daughter's words.

"No… I have not seen him since… since your mother…" Mae held up her hand, she didn't want to talk about that right now. It was still too hard.

"Good… that's good." She sighed. She really didn't want to pry but…

"How did you get… your…" she motioned at his cloak, "…demon?" Timothy didn't react to her words, though she was afraid of what he was thinking.

"I could ask the same thing," he said after a long silence. She flinched at his words.

"I'll tell you if you do," she said unconsciously laying her hand across the circle carved into her stomach. Timothy stayed silent for a few minutes just staring at Mae. Mae stared at the ground, waiting patiently, but avoiding her father's gaze. She didn't want to see the pity in his eyes or the anger or anything else he might be feeling. She just wanted to know. She wanted to know that he didn't hate her or find her disgusting, that he understood, that he knew the suffering too, as sadistic as that sounds. Sometimes its just better to know that you didn't experience the pain just because. Sometimes it's nice to have a reason, even if it changes nothing.

And so he told her of that day so long ago.

"After that beast tore Anne to shreds and murdered Hana… after I found you still there-"

Mae closed her eyes tight and tried to resist the pain rising in her chest.

"- I did everything I could to stop that bastard from following you and finishing the job. I taunted him, blocked him, fought him, goaded him on and kept his interest as long as I could."

The deadpan rumble of her father's deep voice slowly eased back the pressure rising in her chest.

"I spent two whole nights talking to him, listening to him gloat about how nice it was for him to feel blood running on him from warm bodies, how nice it was to kill, especially the women. I kept him busy because I knew that every second he was there with me was giving you one more second to get as far away as possible."

Mae took in a breath and held it. It was hard to hear what she'd been theorizing about ever since her eyes landed on his scarred face.

"Eventually he got bored."

Ah… so there it was. Mae looked up at her father, she figured that she owed him that much if not much more. She wouldn't insult him by not looking him in the eye. He deserved that at least.

"He took his time figuring out exactly what demon he wanted to infect me with and experimented with them for at least an entire day. He could not figure out how to get them inside me."

Ah… so she wasn't his first experiment. Her father… the man who saved her life was his test subject so that he wouldn't mess up when ruining her life with a demonic present.

"I was hoping it would take him longer then it did to figure it out…"

God he went through all of that torture for her? He let Reixez stick a fucking demon in him all to buy her time to escape, and Reixez still found her, still managed to hunt her down… Why? Why had he done that to himself? He must have known that all the time in the world wouldn't buy her life from that monster…

"But he did not rest until the demon was thrust into my mind." Timothy paused, watching Mae's face for a reaction. He found her eyes looking at him with a mix of emotions. He didn't try to decipher them. Mae would tell him in time.

"I passed out at some point, and Reixez must have thought me dead because he didn't bother to finish killing me. As a matter of fact I woke, I don't know how many days later, completely healed. Well… not completely…" Mae's eyes flashed to the scar on his face and understood.

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Might as well start at the beginning…

* * *

Mae was surprised at everything she'd had to say to her father about her life since their separation. She was also surprised at how much she _couldn't _tell him. Though, she had to admit, it shouldn't. She'd only ever mentioned it to a select number of people, most of whom were dead, the rest were in the Inn behind them. They'd moved away from the Inn, mostly because Mae was terrified that the others would overhear her. She didn't think they were ready to hear everything about her living hell just yet.

She could tell her dad because she knew he'd forgive her. After all, she was all he had left. It was a tough rap, but she knew that he would not judge her the same way that Cid or Cloud or Tifa would. Or Vincent. She didn't know what to think about him just yet. She was avoiding that particular strain of thoughts with an avid ferocity.

And so she told him. She thought it would be hard because it had been so long, and so much had happened, a lot of it repetitive, a lot of it very emotional. A lot of it she was ashamed of, other things she was proud of. Some things she would tell no one if she could help it, even though she found the desire to tell those things was very strong.

Sometimes her voice was steady, other times it was weak and she tried her best to speed through those sections of her story. She was afraid or ashamed and found that it was easier to look at the ground or the trees or the big mansion down the road then the knowing eyes of her father.

But she told him none the less.

She told him of her initial flight, the first nice family that took her in, and their eventually murder at the hands of Reixez. She told him of the beatings she sustained at his hands, the endless sleepless nights, the nightmares, the deaths that followed her wake. She told him of her long treks in the least populated areas she could find, the times when Reixez left her be, whether or not it was because he couldn't find her or had found another plaything to entertain him, she told him about the time she didn't see him for almost three months and how she had relaxed and stopped at a family's house to stay the night and avoid the snow storm raging outside.

She told him of their death too.

She told him of her loneliness, of her hatred, her pain, her losses, her small victories, the time she saved the life of a family that had cared for her from a landslide, she told him of all of the sights she'd seen running all over the world. She told him of her first boat ride, the time she climbed the sacred mountain in Wutai, the time she stood at the foot of the great Northern Crater.

She told him about the glowing forest and the strange dreams of a girl in pink that it brought her. And then she told him of Vincent and how he'd appeared out of nowhere to save her.

Timothy saw it, the moment her eyes changed. It was when she talked about the red eyed man named Vincent. Her eyes lit up and there was warmth in them. He knew that she had edited out a lot of her story, and it seemed like she was editing much more now that she'd come to the past few days.

"- and then he sat down next to me, nearly scared the wits out of me! And he placed his big head in my lap and, I swear I'm not lying, started purring!" She laughed at the end of this, her cheeks growing red with merriment. Timothy was shocked at the utter change in her. While she told him about her life, she had been sad, angry, energized, dejected, tired, and fearful, but this was the first time that she spoke with anything other then a detached affection.

"After that there was an incident and we got separated. I ended up falling into a lake and running into a woman in a crystal cave. She was a demon of sorts I think, but I was so disorientated that I can' really remember. Reixez came and she handed me over to him. I don't think they were working together… that's not Reixez's style, but she was definitely cooperating with him. Maybe she sensed what he was…"

She trailed off as she so often had in the story, but then jumped right back in, telling him of the trek here, the flight from Reixez into the mountains and then the torture that ensued. He knew she was editing again because she wouldn't look at him and he felt the anger that had plagued him throughout her story come back in full force. His baby, his only living child had been put through torture for the past 5 years from that disgusting, mutated, twisted freak and if Timothy had his way, the man would not die quickly or easily.

She came back to the red eyed man and still was not looking at Timothy. He was getting suspicious. She trailed off again and looked back at him to tell him about the training Vincent had her do. She described her demon and the "meeting" they'd had in her mind.

"And when I woke up we went downstairs and there you were…" she ended with a smile. It was more genuine this time and the anger growing inside him dissipated. Timothy felt the demon in his mind shift.

"**She was talking about Areao, Mistress of the wind…"** Timothy took the scrap of information and stored it in the back of his mind. Might come in handy.

"I guess I just wanted to tell you all that…" she said lamely. Timothy nodded in understanding.

"It must be a relief to be able to talk about it."

"Yeah…" Mae looked over at the sun sinking again behind the mountain range. She hadn't told him about the little boy. She couldn't… not yet. It was still to painful. She couldn't tell him about her and Vincent yet, not only because it was a private thing, but because she didn't know quite yet what it was between them either.

She knew she loved him, at least she thought she did, but Vincent's feelings were unknown to her, and that complicated things. She sighed and poked at her belly which was growling very loudly.

"Lets go see if Tifa has been in the kitchen recently…"

* * *

After eating a sandwich and still feeling hungry, Mae hunted up some rice and chop sticks. She had always enjoyed eating rice with chop sticks as a child. It was fun trying to capture the bit of rice that stuck together. She was very good at it now, but it was still a comforting act. She had avoided talking to Cloud and Tifa, but Cid was not one to be ignored, and he was in a bitching mood. He was yelling about the airship and how it still hadn't been repaired since they bought the part in Junon. So she sat with her bowl of rice and slowly ate and chewed on her chop sticks until Cid had worn himself out and finally got down to the gist of his rant.

"Will you help me put the part in? I normally ask Shera for jobs like this 'cause you need small hands but-"

"Of course I'll help you Cid," she said quickly. She's just caught sight of Vincent coming down the stairs.

"Great! Lets go!" He grabbed Mae's arm and drug her out of the Inn. Mae had handed off her bowl of rice to her father as she passed him and followed Cid halfheartedly to the edge of town where the Airship was hovering.

A few hours later it was dark out and Mae found she didn't want to go back to the Inn. She briefly considered sleeping in the Chocobo stables, but there were to many memories in that room that she didn't want to think about. So she went out on the deck and let the cool night air dry the perspiration on her face and body. Thank god she'd swapped clothes before going down into the greasy world of mechanics.

She stretched out on the deck and let the hum of the motor lull her into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"_One hop, two hop, three hop, four!" Hana giggled and hugged the ragged red haired baby doll she took with her everywhere. Mae watched, afraid to move or speak lest she chase the dram away._

"_I win!" she said triumphantly. Her smiling baby blue eyes moved over to where Mae was standing._

"_You are no fun Mae Mae," she said with a pout._

"_I'm sorry Hana…" Mae said, at a loss for words. Hana smiled at her._

"_It didn't hurt you know."_

_Mae felt her eyes grow wide and a small fear began to grow in her heart._

"_What?"_

"_It didn't really feel like anything." Hana sat down and fussed with her doll's hair._

_Mae stared at her in blatant terror and disbelief. "Hana…"_

"_Mommy said it hurt," Hannah looked up at her older sister. "She said it hurt to die, but it didn't hurt."_

_Mae didn't know what to say. She didn't know if this was a dream created from her own mind or if Hana was really there… she prayed she was and that it didn't hurt. Guilt washed up inside of her._

_A small boy walked up behind Hana. He was thin and clothed in ratty street clothes._

"_Liar!" he screamed. Hana looked at him angrily._

"_Who are you calling a liar?" she stood up and looked at Mae. "Don't listen to him Mae Mae, he's a big liar!"_

"_Liar!" he said angrily pointing at Mae. "You killed me! And it HURT!"_

_Mae shook her head, terror and guilt and pain warring in her. Her mouth hung open, a million excuses flitting through her mind. 'I didn't mean to…', 'If I wouldn't have done it he would have…' 'It was supposed to be painless…'_

"_You hurt me! Now I'm gonna hurt you!" as he spoke his voice grew deeper and his small frail body grew larger. The little boy became a man._

"_You stay away from my sister!" screamed Hana. "She didn't do anything to you, did you Mae Mae!"_

_Mae shrank back in terror and guilt. Hana came over and tugged on her shirt._

"_Tell that mean man that you didn't do anything and to leave you alone!"_

_Mae shook her head and sobbed, "I can't Hana… I did hurt him… I … I killed him… oh gods… I killed…" She fell to her knees and the grown man came closer. Hana took her hand away and stepped back from Mae. Mae cried harder. She was horrible. She had taken a life and led many more to their end and her own sister was afraid of her now. Ashamed of her._

"_Hana… I'm so sorry… I tried to save you… I meant to protect not kill… I meant to save him," she said her eyes pleading with the small angelic blond child standing a few feet from her._

"_You killed him? But why Mae Mae?" Mae reached out for her sister._

"_Because a bad man was going to do horrible things to him because of me… and I tried to save him… oh god… I thought it better to put him to sleep… to let him go softly… with no pain…"_

"_Who are you to take a life?"_

_Mae hadn't noticed that the little girl had changed, that her speech had become older, more sophisticated. She cried harder and then screamed._

"_It was right! I thought it was right! I did it quick…" she trailed off and bowed down as the shadow of the man reached her. It too had changed. It was larger, grotesquely shaped._

"_I'm going to tear your skin from your body and then remove your organs one by one…"_

_Mae looked up at the beast, covered by shadow. Hana stood 60 feet away, the only source of light in the nothingness._

"_I forgive you Mae…" she said softly. "I forgive you for living."_

_The beast attacked._

Mae's own screams woke her up. Her whole body was on fire. She leapt up from the deck, but her knees went weak and her vision blacked out. She fell back to the cold hard deck, her eyes wide open but seeing nothing. She couldn't even see death as it calmly walked up behind her.

* * *

**:: *looks over to where Vincent is tied down and shakes head* You know, if you didn't try to kill me so much I wouldn't have to do that to you...**

**Vincent: I hate you and your stupid cliffhangers**

**Me: Hate is such a strong word :(**

**Vincent: I HATE you.**

**Me: Awww... Ok well since you already hate me I guess I really will have to kill Mae off...**

**Vincent: NOOOOOOO!**

**Me: Muahahahaha! *coughhacksputter* ehem... mmm.. yeah I think I'm done**

**Vincent: jerk**

**Me: XP**

**Reno: ok children...**


	35. Eyes

**:: I'm sorry I didn't get this out sooner, but i've had no power for a while because some loser took out a power pole and everyone in the area lost their power. And I'm FINALLY getting my car fixed, too bad the ass I took it to decided to be stupid and take forever to fix my car. I took it to his shop on Sunday. I still don't have it back. What the hell.**

**Anyway, I have to warn you, this chapter is kinda short, but do not despair! I'm making the next one extra long. It's about half done... it would be all the way done if it weren't for Stephanie Meyer's new book Breaking Dawn. Damn you and your evil awesome midnight release parties that allow lazy people like me to STILL get a book even though I reserved nothing! And then let me actually read the book! And prevent me from doing much else. Lol. Oh well. I'm sure you guys won't mind waiting a bit longer for the next chapter. I'm gonna update about this time next week, but don't quote me on that!**

**Now on to the reviews...**

**Caos-lust - I haven't been able to check my email but I will as soon as I can! Ack... I'm still trying to maintain the connection I have right now O.o Also, u have had waaaaaaaay to much sugar so... *plops Reixez down and gives him a cookie* Have fun Muahahaha! *Reixez looks at me like I'm crazy***

**Alexis4 - Yeeeeeaaaaaah. *looks over at Reno who is screaming in pain after trying to snort a pixie stick* It is pretty sad -.-'**

**Luna of the Black Moon - *pats chibi on the head* awwww but its soooo cute! XD**

**Princess Aralee - Reno's gonna die? I am confuzzled.**

**Reno: I have a fan! Woooooo!**

**Me: *gets evil grin***

**Reno: *stops running around and looks at me suspiciously* uhh...**

**SweetxPandemonium - Yeah, I can understand no internet! Lol. Well here's your update! Sadly enough I doubt its gonna have anything you guys wanted in it...**

**WARNING! There is going to be some pretty bad language in this chapter, it was also prolly in the previous one, but I forgot to say so O.o Umm... its prolly gonna be in the next one too sooooo... you have been warned!**

**Chapter 35**

Vincent jerked awake, a scream ringing through his head. Chaos roared and Vincent had to struggle to contain him. The animalistic growls ripping through his throat and the sudden onset of his demonic aura brought Timothy barreling up the stairs. He busted open the door as Cloud and Tifa opened their door to see what the racket was.

Vincent was kneeling on the floor by his bed in only his pants gripping the mattress as if dear life depended on it and clutching his head, growling and panting.

"M… Mae!" he screamed and Chaos tore through his mind making him transform. His wings burst free and his fangs tore his lip open. Vincent fought the change, his nails growing long and his bones shifting and growing. He tore open the mattress sending feathers and fluff flying everywhere and thrashed around the room, attacking the furniture and clawing at the walls and floor. Timothy held Cloud and Tifa back as they rushed to the door.

"Go check on Mae and Cid!" he said urgently. "I will contain his rage." Timothy growled at Vincent who jerked around, still midway through transformation. His pupils were slits, his eyes wide, and his mouth was full of sharp teeth too big for his still human jaw to contain. He stopped his rampage, attention riveted on Timothy. Cloud and Tifa went racing towards the Airship.

"What kind of protection can you give her if you cannot even control yourself?" he said calmly. The effect on Vincent was like liquid lightning. He let out a horrid gurgled growl and he flung himself at Timothy who sidestepped him with ease. Vincent barreled out the bedroom door, his shoulders soon becoming too big for the cramped hallway to contain. He began tearing up the walls just so he could get down to the front door of the Inn.

"**There is blood on the air Timmy boy, and I'm afraid you don't want to know who's it is…"**

* * *

Chaos landed on the deck of Cid's airship a short while after Cid raced down the stairs. He flung open the door, took one step and fell flat on his back. The whole deck was slicked with blood and bits of grease stained clothing. Chaos howled and jolted into the air flying in circles trying to figure out which way Mae was.

Cid picked himself up just as Cloud and Tifa clattered down the stairs.

"Gods…" Cloud said catching Tifa before she stepped out onto the deck. She covered her mouth and buried her head in Cloud's shoulder.

Cid picked himself up and raced back up the stairs. Cloud followed, albeit slower due to Tifa. Before they reached the top of the stairs the Airship lurched forward and Cloud had to cling to the banister and Tifa to keep them from plummeting to the bottom of the stairs.

"Gods damn that man and his inability to drive!" Tifa shouted through her tears. Cloud pulled them to the top of the stairs and shut the thick wooden door behind them before Cid banked right and they flew into the wall.

* * *

Chaos caught the enticing scent of Mae's blood and bolted in that general direction. His bulky body leaned into the wind and he pumped his powerful wings, an enraged growl ripping through the night sky. Chaos and Vincent were one in their rage, both of them blinded by it. It would make them an easy target. Hell, they didn't even notice that Cid had followed them and was only a few hundred feet behind them as they flew off into the direction of the ocean.

Throughout the night Chaos flew all over the ocean, following an invisible trail that only he could see, at one point he flew directly at the Northern Crater. Cid couldn't fly over it due to the electrical interference, so he went around.

Chaos left them behind, flying off in a different direction taking him close to a small island covered in trees, but then the trail turned away from that. Eventually he ended up spotting a lifeless form on a small rock off the shores of Wutai.

It was Mae. Chaos landed and immediately shifted back to human form. Vincent stumbled wearily over to where Mae lay. Her eyes were open and staring off into the distant ocean. Her neck laid at a strange angle, her one arm twisted behind her, her other flung out beside her. Her thigh bone was jutting out of her left leg and her right leg was covered in gashes. Her torso was mostly untouched, but her chest had been ripped open revealing broken ribs. Her raven hair whipped around her face in the rough ocean wind and her skin was white. Vincent howled in pain and shakily touched her blue lips, parted slightly showing bloodied teeth. She'd been coughing up blood.

"Mae…" his voice was hoarse from the screams he'd let loose while searching for her, his eyes were bloodshot and his muscles stiff and weak. He kneeled next to her and prayed to the gods that she wasn't dead. He laid his head on her chest and listened for a heart beat.

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Vincent pulled her broken body to him and cried. There were no words to describe the pain and guilt he felt. He should have told her. He should have told her he loved her and held her that night, safe and sound in his arms. Instead he let her wander off to leave him in his distance indecision and left her alone and vulnerable. He held her close and roared his pain and anger to the ocean.

"You should have been more careful with my butterfly…" Vincent felt his body begin to burn. Rage filled his heart and he was blinded by bloodlust. Chaos called for vengeance. He set Mae's body down and turned to Reixez. He still had that smug smile on his face. It grew wider at his rage.

"It was so pleasurable to hear her scream…" Vincent launched himself at Reixez another roar ripping from his throat. He tackled him and began to punch and claw and shred any of the flesh he came into contact with, the gun at his side completely forgotten. The only problem was that he was exhausted from darting all over the great wide ocean all night on only an hour of sleep and no food. He was tired.

Reixez began to laugh. It grew louder and more hysterical, only fueling Vincent's rage. And in his rage, he never expected Reixez to transform. It was almost instantaneous, and the bulky demon lunged at Vincent.

* * *

A day later Cid found the hunk of rock that Mae had been dumped on. Sea gulls had surrounded her and a few were pecking at the open wounds covering her body. Tifa took one look and paled, running back inside the airship. Cloud and Cid walked over to her shooing the birds away, and tried to heal her. Eventually she lay before them, bones back in place and skin mended, but neither of them could find a pulse.

Cid sat down next to her and hung his head. "This is my fault…" he said agonized.

"No Cid. Not now…"

"If I hadn't have asked her-"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Cloud shouted angrily. "This is no one fault but Reixez!" Cid lowered his gaze.

"We can't leave her here…"

Cloud looked over to Mae's body. Hey eyes were still staring out to see, eerily empty. He sighed, pity for the poor woman washing over him.

Then terror when those dead eyes jerked over to him. He let out a startled shout and jumped back pulling out his sword. Cid jumped up.

"What? What is it?"

"H-her eyes!" he stammered pointing at Mae. Cid looked over and noticed nothing different. Her eyes were still staring out to sea. Cloud's heart was hammering so hard that he thought it was going to leap out of his chest.

"Goddamnit Cloud, gimme a fuckin' heart attack!" Cid said angrily. Cloud looked over at him incredulously.

"You didn't see that?" his voice rose in agitation. Cid scowled at him.

"She's fucking dead Cloud! Don't disgrace her memory with your spiky haired bullshit!" He stormed over to the rope ladder. He looked back. "Bring her over here and we'll take her to Wutai to give her a good burial."

"Wutai burns their dead Cid," Cloud said hoping Cid wouldn't make him carry her up the ladder.

"We'll take her to Rocket Town then…" his eyes got distance for a moment as he thought about Shera. "No… We'll take her to Wutai and bury her ourselves. I don't want to risk Shera's life until we kill this maniac." He started climbing up the ladder. "Bring her inside."

"Cid… I don't think I can…" Cloud said looking over at the body again. He was waiting for those eyes to return to him again.

"Gods be damned," Cid said with frustration. He climbed back down, walked over to Mae and slung her over his shoulder. "I'll do it then you fucking coward," he spat.

Cloud looked away. He was ashamed, but something didn't feel right. He followed Cid up the ladder, trying to avoid the gaze of those aqua eyes.

* * *

Cloud cursed and kicked the door to the small room. Tifa jumped at the sound. She was upset and tense and worried. Vincent hadn't shown up and they had lost sight of him long ago. Cid was currently in Wutai asking permission to bury Mae. Cloud was agitated and nervous. He did NOT like being in the same room with Mae. As far as Tifa could tell, the poor woman was dead, but Cloud was jumping at every little noise or movement. He was getting Tifa all worked up.

"Cloud… please sit down and relax…" she said for the fifth time in the past half hour.

"I can't, I swear Tifa, something is up. Her eyes moved! They looked right at me!" Tifa tried to hold her tongue, but she was tired, upset and found she couldn't hold back any longer.

"Then get out!" she said angrily. Cloud stopped his pacing, looking at her with surprise.

"Tifa…?"

"I don't want to hear it anymore! Go and sit in the hall!" She opened the door and pushed him out, slamming it behind him. Then she sat down on the chair and started crying again.

"Tifa…" Cloud said dejected. He leaned his head against the door, hurt that she yelled at him, but even more upset when he realized she was crying again. He sighed and sat on the polished wooden floor. What had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

**: Not as bad a cliffy as last time, but I assure you, the next chapter will more then make up for it *evil grin***

**Reno: You are a sick, sick individual**

**Me: And you snort pixie sticks for fun.**

**Vincent: Fine, you're both sick, now get away from me before I kill you both**

**Me: *makes angry cat noises and hisses at Vincent* so angry!**

**Reno: *mumbles under his breath about just being bored and swiped another pixie stick while im not looking***

**Vincent: *glares at me***

**Reno: *gets curious and looks between the pixie stick and the soda in his other hand***

***Vincent chases me around in background while Reno pours the sugar into his drink***

**Reno: now it will be even sweeter!**

***drink begins to fiz and rise***

**Reno: ack! *tries to put the cap back on, but its already fizzing over the side***

**Me: Reno! You better not be making a mess in there! *crashing and cackling in the background***

**Reno: *sweatdrop* Uh oh... *quickly puts his mouth over the top to keep the fiz from spilling on the floor. His face turns red when the fiz travels into his sinuses and explodes out his nose* Ahhhhh! IT BURNS!**

**Me and Vincent: Aww mannnnn...:**


	36. Deviation from Sanity

**:: Hey everyone! I'm putting this chapter out now, but I don't know how soon I'll be able to get the next one out. This chapter is nice and long to make up for the lack of story in the last one and the delay from the coming chapter. I'm having a hard time writing anything decent for some reason, but I just got done reading Stephen King's _Rose Madder_ which was surprisingly good. Like, OMG THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME good. And I don't even care for his books all that much. It's a very well written book though, and I would definitely recommend it.**

**WARNINGS!**

**So yeah, anywho, everyone reading these next few chapters are to be warned, due to reading Rose Madder (which happens to have a really creepy bad guy who's mentally messed up, kinda like my bad guy O.o) I'm using more violence and naughty language, so my recommendation is that if you don't like that sort of thing, don't read it. If you really wanna know what happens but don't want to filter out all the curses and such, I'm having Reno do a puppet show at the end of this chapter to summarize XD**

**Reno: Eh? I get to play with puppets?**

**Me: Yup, but you can't curse or be perverted, and no sharp objects**

**Reno: *not listening* SWEET! *runs off talking about kitchen knives and stuffed animals***

**Me: O.o**

**_Disclaimer_: I don't own any Final Fantasy characters or equipment, but I do own all original characters and ideas and all other such original awesomeness. If you try to steal I will sick Norman on you (read _Rose Madder_ to understand)**

**Ps: You should really read _Rose Madder_. Like, seriously. It's really good. Like, I read it nonstop for 2 days and forgot to eat good. How will you know if you like it? Well, if you like the story you are reading now, you will like it. Trust me. Reixez Norman; Rosie Mae, kinda deal. The situations are different and stuff, and Stephen King is definitely a better writer then me, and his story could be real, which makes it all the more creepy, and its really good. Did I mention its good? Lol, ok I'll stop.**

**Reno: finally!**

**Me: *pushes Reno into traffic***

**Reno: O.O**

**Me: XD**

**Ahem...**

**Caos-lust: Aw no crying! *gives you tons of cookies* Hey, *nudge nudge* maybe you should threaten people again cause you're the only one who commented on the new chappy : ( I need reviews to live! If I don't get enough my motivation does a nose dive. I get writer block and then move on to other stories and leave the one I'm supposed to be working on behind and I don't want to do that with this story, cause I really like writing it!**

**Yes people! I'm guilt tripping you into giving me reviews! How does that make you feel! Huh? HUH!**

**Reno: *steals my cookies***

**Me: NOOOO!**

**Vincent: Please review so that I don't have to keep making cookie runs. *looks over at me and Reno trying to eat the same cookie* You two are pathetic...**

**Chapter 36**

Tifa swayed in her chair, battling sleep ineffectively. It was quiet and the only light in the room was a small lamp by the bed. She had stopped crying a while ago, but as one often does, she felt tired afterwards. She'd tried to find a comfortable place to lay, but there wasn't much else in the room besides the bed and her chair, and she wasn't going to move or lay next to Mae's body. So she stayed in the chair, shifting back and forth, trying to keep the wood rungs on the back from digging into her.

She had begun to notice little things while sitting there. The way the light made Mae's skin look a little less pale, the way she lay, so stiff and quiet, the way her eyes seemed to follow her even when she knew they weren't moving. She wanted to close them, but she didn't want to touch the chilled body.

She now understood why Cloud had gotten so spooked. She found herself in a state between grief and fear and almost left the room and joined Cloud in the hallway. Only guilt made her stay behind. Even though she was nervous and antsy, she soon felt sleep gathering at the corner of her mind ready to wash over her like a wave, and try as she might it was getting harder and harder to resist.

She nodded off at one point, sleeping shortly. Her neck fell at an uncomfortable angle and soon woke her with small sharp pains. When she opened her eyes she was immediately aware of the darkness in the room. At some point the little lamp must have been switched off, by Cloud or Cid turning off one of the breakers to reserve energy. She felt a little pin prick of fear when she couldn't make out Mae's body on the bed, but she scolded herself quietly for even trying to play that particular trick on herself.

Mae had to be on the bed. If she wasn't on the bed then it was because they had moved her before she woke up. But wouldn't Cloud wake her up? Maybe… he might still be angry, but would he just leave her there? Tifa shook her head in the dark to clear of these distracting thoughts. She didn't even know why she was worrying about it. Mae was still on the bed and Cid blew a breaker, that's all. She had nothing to be afraid of.

But she was afraid. Besides, why wouldn't she be there? If Tifa was being perfectly rational, and she was trying very hard to be rational, then there was nothing to be afraid of. Poor Mae, may the gods watch over her, was dead. They had all checked her and tried to revive her. And yet her fear was still there, hovering in her stomach and twisting into painful knots.

Something wasn't right, just like Cloud had said, and now she was regretting her decision to send him away. She shivered and chose to not sit there and cower until the lights miraculously went on or Cloud decided to poke his head in and ask if she was alright.

So, after gathering her courage, Tifa stood up and stumbled forward into the dark room, her hands out and searching for the light. She bumped into the wall first and then felt along it, trying to find the small night-stand the lamp had been sitting on. She felt her leg hit the table seconds before a loud crack alerted her that she had just stepped on the lamp.

Tifa knelt down, carefully put her gloves on and sifted through the broken glass to find the bulb still intact. She felt along the cold metal and gave a sigh of relief when her fingers touched the rough little switch that would give light to the dark room.

She flicked the light on and found a pair of bright aqua eyes staring into her own. She let out a small squeal of fright and fell back bumping into the small night-stand.

Mae was sitting on her haunches staring avidly at Tifa. She was wearing a simple white dress that Tifa had forfeited so that she wouldn't have been buried in the tattered, bloody shirt and jeans they'd found her in. The dress was almost as white as Mae's skin.

"M-Mae?" Tifa said the fear receding a bit. The woman looked ghastly, but that is to be expected when you are supposed to be dead. "Oh gods, you almost gave me a heart attack…" Tifa said with a nervous laugh. Mae didn't move when Tifa shifted forward, attempting to stand up. Tifa looked back into her eyes and moved away from her again. "I'm so glad you're ok," she said anxiously, a dark suspicion rising in her mind.

Tifa's mind was screaming, _there's a freaking dead girl staring at you! What are you doing?_ And yet a small part of her mind was still saying, _why are you afraid? You all wanted her to be alive didn't you?_But they had checked her, and she hadn't been alive… right?

Mae's eyes were wide, her skin pale and drawn, and she showed no sign that she'd heard a single thing Tifa said. It was unnerving to say the least. But it became downright terrifying when Mae inched closer and Tifa noticed that the woman's eyes were trained on her neck and there were fangs poking out between her pale blue lips.

"C-Cloud!" Tifa squeaked. She began to frantically try and retreat from Mae's frightening form, but the small woman effectively had her pinned against the night stand and bed frame.

Mae moved closer to Tifa stopping only when the woman began to scream bloody murder. She shifted slightly, annoyed that her meal was being very noisy, and then bared her fangs in pain as her stomach twisted in hunger. It _hurt_ and she wanted it to stop. She was so thirsty that her throat burned and the woman in front of her was flushed with terror and had a heart beat that made her head swim. She wanted the red life blood running through her body, her eyes locked onto the rhythmic pulsing of the large vein in her neck.

Nothing else mattered.

The door burst open and a tall man with annoying blond hair rushed into the small room. His heart was also making that annoyingly alluring pitter patter that was driving her crazy. She also noticed that he had a very large metal sword and was shouting at her. He raised the sword in a threatening gesture and Mae slunk back against the bed, hissing and baring her fangs. She decided she didn't want these two. They were too much for her to deal with right now. Maybe

after she got a meal somewhere else first.

She curled in on herself as a wave of blinding pain hit her hard. Her stomach felt like some one had drop a bucket full of hot coal in it. She let out a horrible screech and doubled over.

Cloud lowered his sword and grabbed Tifa's arm pulling her to him and holding her tightly to his side. He never took his eyes off of Mae. He thrust Tifa behind him when she looked up to him, shivering and panting.

"Get away…" she said in a haunting voice. Her eyes hard, life and fear in them for a moment before another wail escaped her lips and she convulsed. Cloud began backing down the hall way, shouting at Tifa to run and lock her self in a room.

Mae picked herself off the floor, all senses lost as she felt the pull of Cloud's heartbeat pulling her down the hall. She looked up and saw them. All inhibitions were thrown away. She bared her fangs and ran down the hallway, her eyes adapting a feline shape. She tore down the wood floor after Cloud and with a shout he shoved Tifa into a closet and squeezed in behind her. He closed the door. There was a moment of silence before a loud slam followed by heavy breathing and scratching. It stopped and Cloud looked over at Tifa who was tangled in a series of brooms and coats covered in grease and smelling of cigarettes and alcohol. Her hair was a mess, hanging in her face and covering all but one of her terrified eyes.

The door began to shake and an enraged growl sent shivers up Cloud's spine. As suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Mae doubled over, holding her stomach. Her head was starting to hurt and she felt as if she hadn't had anything to eat or drink in weeks. She hobbled off towards the old smell of blood.

* * *

Vincent floated in a haze of pain and nausea. He didn't know anything but pain. His head hurt, his body hurt, and his heart was screaming. He knew he should know why, but it seemed so very far away at the moment. He heard a distant sound… it sounded strange, muffled, but very loud. It was a mixed emotion that it brought up as well, one of anger, the other of pain.

What surprised him was that there was no fear.

No fear at all. But shouldn't one fear the unknown? Oh but was it truly unknown or just forgotten? He wasn't sure, and it seemed like a large task to be trying to tackle right now.

And so he slipped back down into a darker abyss. It was nicer there and the pain was muted. Well, not all of it. The one in his heart seemed to hurt more here, and he found that it was a lot less bearable then the other pain. He felt himself frown.

Wait… frown? He had lips? Ah yes… there they were. He could feel them now. There seemed to be some pain coming from there, a pulling pain, small and not very important he decided.

This phenomena intrigued him, so he moved his senses around a bit. He had other body parts he could feel now too. Two arms, both of which were very heavy and a little sore, though he wasn't sure why just yet, a stomach, which hurt much more, two legs, both of which had pins and needles running up and down them, and two feet.

Now, the more he explored these different feelings, the more he felt something different. Up by his hands there was a distinct cold feeling. The same with near his feet. There was also something around his neck that was making it hard for him to breath. He was starting to feel more of the aches and pains that were muted before. A few of them were nothing really and he ignored them, but the pain in his stomach was growing and he found that it was pulling him away from that dark place.

And the worst part was that the further he got from the comforting dark of his mind, the more he remembered. And he did not want to remember just yet. It hurt too. He swallowed and more pain erupted from his throat. It burned and itched and he felt himself grimace in response.

"Oh! Look who's decided to wake up!" The voice brought anger flaring back to life in him and his eyes began to peel open. That hurt too. His whole face seemed sore for some reason, but unless he found a mirror soon he wasn't going to figure out why, though he had a pretty good idea.

"Fuck you," a voice that sounded not unlike his own rasped out. Ah… now he remembered. He closed his eyes again. '_Oh gods… Mae…'_

"We-he-heeeelll now…" Reixez said cheerfully. "Aren't we touchy this beautiful morning…" Vincent opened his eyes to spear the disgusting bastard with all of the rage and hatred he could manage to fit into his gaze. Reixez saw this and put his hand to his chest mimicking pain. "Aw! If looks could kill!" He erupted into laughter as if he'd made a funny joke. In his hand was a small rusty knife.

Vincent tried to growl, but the sound was cut off by a series of painful coughs. His neck had some sort of chain around it and it was making it very hard to breath or swallow.

"Whoopsie!" Reixez said merrily. "Must have made your collar a little too loose…" He gave the chain a tug and Vincent choked. Reixez erupted into more laughter before loosening the chain. "Such a shame," he said wistfully. "Though I'd love to strangle you to death, there are far to many other fun things to do…" A wicked smile spread across his face.

Vincent had had enough. He tried to throw himself at the smug murdering bastard, but the chain around his neck wasn't the only thing holding him back. Reixez had seen fit to chain down his legs and arms as well. His arms were strung from the ceiling and that's why they felt so bad. All the blood had rushed out of them and it ached just to move them. His feet were touching the ground, but just barely. His neck was chained to the wall behind him, probably to keep him from moving around too much in any given direction.

Reixez watched Vincent's attempts with bold glee and he couldn't help but taunt him more, hoping that he would asphyxiate himself. Vincent stopped, panting and feeling more then a little foolish. When he looked up again Reixez was pouting.

"Awww… no more fight in you? That's no fun… Mae never stopped fighting you know," he said pacing the half circle around Vincent, playing with the small knife. "Not once," he said stopping directly in front of Vincent. "Killing her was much more satisfying then I ever imagined, but it lacked a certain spice to it…" Reixez said with a pout.

Vincent bared his teeth and managed to control the anger running through him. He didn't have enough energy to break the chains. He'd lost too much blood. He let his anger drain and in its place came pain. He'd failed Mae… He'd failed to protect her too. He failed them both and now he was going to receive his just punishment.

Reixez saw the defeat in Vincent's eyes and he grew angry. A pet that didn't fight was no fun at all. He was about to tear the half demon limb from limb when a little light in his head turned on. A smile grew on his face. He knew how to get the fight back into him. He walked up and placed his lips near Vincent's ear.

"But I have to admit, it was so fun raping her until she bled…"

Vincent felt his heart stop. '_No…'_

"She moaned for me you know," Reixez cooed, tasting the change in Vincent's demeanor in the air. "Cried out and even swallowed when I shoved my cock down her throat."

Vincent felt his heart break again and his anger came rushing back. The pain did not leave though. '_Gods… please tell me it isn't true…'_

Reixez cackled in his ear and Vincent lunged forward, ignoring the bite of the chain at his neck and ripped out a chunk of Reixez's. Reixez jolted back, surprise evident in his eyes.

"You bit me!" he screamed. He pulled his hand from his neck and stared at it for a moment. Vincent triumphantly spit the hunk of skin out of his mouth and swallowed the bit of blood he got. It was disgusting, but it afforded him a little bit of energy.

Reixez began to laugh quietly. "Well, well. It seems there's some fight in you yettttt-" Reixez's fangs came out and his eyes flashed yellow. "Mmmm… Shall I tell you about how I tore her open and drank her blood?"

* * *

Mae stumbled out onto the deck and the smell of her own blood made her salivate. She felt her stomach cramp in hunger again. She moaned and stumbled towards the thin metal railing. She fell forwards using the metal to hold herself up.

"Mae?" God the entire deck reeked of her blood. Timothy crinkled his nose, ignoring the small pang of hunger that rushed through his stomach at the thought of blood. Mae was facing away from him, leaning over the rail in a flowing white dress. For a moment, he wasn't even sure if she was really there. Then she turned and he felt like some one had punched him in the gut. Her pupils were slits, her fangs extended and her skin pale.

Mae took in the sight of this new presence. He was big, but she did not feel threatened by him like she had the other male. He was looking at her strange, but she didn't really care at this point. She smelled the air and did not like the way his blood smelled. It smelled too similar to the old blood soaking the deck they were standing on. The wind shifted and a smorgasbord of tantalizing scents hit her like a ton of bricks. Her knees went weak and her body jerked towards the source. A mile off was a small town. She could see the people milling around in the streets, completely oblivious to her pain and growing need. God the thirst was killing her…

Timothy saw the bloodlust in Mae's eyes and launched himself at her. Mae threw herself over the railing and landed safely on the grassy hill beneath the Shera. Timothy wasn't far behind her. Mae raced towards the town.

There was a small child playing with a ball in the street. He laughed and giggled, watching it bounce towards the bubbling stream next to the cobblestone road. Mae saw him, the burning in her throat intensifying, and locked on. A small target is an easy target. He chased after the ball, giggling and completely unaware that danger was racing towards him.

Timothy saw the child and raised the alarm. "Look out!" The child looked up and saw Timothy chasing Mae. At first he was mystified and stood there watching them thinking maybe they were playing some sort of game, but his mother was under no such impressions. She quickly grabbed her child and ran to the nearest house, begging entrance. Mae saw this and narrowed her eyes, leaping at the woman. Timothy was faster though and tackled her. They both fell into a small stream that ran through the town.

Mae thrashed about, screaming and scratching and biting, but to no avail. Timothy was not about to let his daughter become the monster she'd evaded for so many years. Mae let the alien presence in her mind burst forth and used its strength to throw her father from her and send him crashing into a house. A bunch of cats tumbled out and ran into the streets trying to escape the damaged house.

Mae was vaguely interested in them, but then a thin girl came running down the street brandishing a rather large shuriken. Yuffie had been at the temple praying when a fellow student came barreling in yelling about a woman in white and a huge man who was chasing her. Naturally, she had grabbed her beloved shuriken and ran to quell the incident. The sight that had greeted her was disturbing and perplexing to say the least. She watched as the woman in white threw the mountainous man into a house and then calmly get up and walk down the street.

The worst part was that she knew that woman.

"Mae?" she said lowering her weapon a little. She didn't want to let her guard down completely. After all the last time she saw the woman she'd been trying to kill her, and she didn't want Mae returning the favor. She was grateful for the small bit of common sense to keep up that guard when she really took a good look at Mae.

She was beyond pale, her eyes were little slits of anger and she had... gods were those fangs? When Yuffie brought her shuriken back up to her shoulder Mae crouched down low and hissed at her, baring her teeth. Yuffie didn't quite know what was going on, but she knew she had to protect her town. And it looked like Mae was out to do some damage.

Yuffie felt guilt in her heart for the attempted murder, and even more when she thought that earlier she would have loved to have been in this situation removing an obstacle to her affections. But now… well now she was praying she wouldn't have to hurt her. She was hoping Vincent would show up and explain that everything was all a big mistake and that they would both leave and never come back. She wanted to be left to her own devices a while and was done with love.

'_Especially if it does _this_ to you,'_ she thought.

* * *

Her body pulsed with the need for blood, and Mae no longer cared that the nearest meal was holding a very large very sharp method of protection. It was the nearest warm body and she needed sustenance. The pain and bloodlust were blinding her to all but that one basic need.

Yuffie leapt back when Mae ran at her. She used the side of her shuriken to bat the woman's hands away, but Mae didn't even bat an eye. Before she knew what was happening Yuffie was on the ground and Mae was trying to bite her. Yuffie called out and stopped Mae's advance with a hand to her throat. She thrust her shuriken up against the pale throat and warned her that she would kill her if she didn't back off.

Unfortunately, Mae was past hearing her or understanding simple human speech and all her attention was focused on the pulse thumping wildly in Yuffie's neck. It was because of this that she didn't feel the bite of Yuffie's blade as she pushed herself against it and the trembling hand trying to hold her back.

The young ninja watched the blood begin to well and dribble down her neck as her shuriken broke Mae's skin and cried out for her to stop, pulling the blade back in an attempt to refrain from hurting her more. A few of the other trainees from her dojo came running down the street and a few ran up trying to help her. Mae's eyes locked onto them, noticing that most were unarmed. She immediately tried to wrench herself from Yuffie's grip.

Yuffie saw this and threw her arm around Mae trying to hold her back from the others.

"Get away!" she cried emphatically. "Get away from her! She's to strong!" Most left and ran to a safer distance, but two stayed behind, determined to help Yuffie. One tried to grab Mae and haul her off of the petite ninja, but she lashed out and bit his wrist, tearing it open when he pulled it back on reflex. He cried out and his friend helped him get away and apply pressure to the wound, bleeding profusely now.

Yuffie was concerned for the poor boy, but her attention was soon pulled back to the thrashing female, still trying to go after the injured boy. She'd had a taste of his blood and having it taken away when it was so close was absolute torture. She ended up cutting herself multiple times on Yuffie's blade, none of her wounds healing because of the lack of blood.

All of her wounds were bleeding slowly, not because they were healing, but because she had very little blood left. Suddenly, as if someone had flicked a switch all of the fight went out of her. All of her pain was still there, and so was the driving need for blood, but all of her strength was leaving her. At the corner of her eyes black was filtering in.

Yuffie pushed Mae off of her, watching as the woman threw her head back; eyes locked onto the sky and struggled to breath. She suddenly felt terrified. What had she done? Had she killed her again? Even though she had been justified by the need to protect herself and the others around her, she didn't think she could endure the hateful starts of her friends and their accusations. It would be too much to bear.

Yuffie let her shuriken drop to the ground and felt along Mae's neck for a pulse. It was still there, but it was painstakingly slow. She looked at the haunting aqua eyes as they darted around. The pupils had been feline slits, but now they were dilating and returning to a normal size and shape. Her eyes then darted to Yuffie's and she began to shake.

* * *

**: Me: Ahem... Introducing the Great Renoldo!**

**Reno: Wtf...**

**Me: Uh... sorry O.o**

***Reno: *rolls eyes and opens up a big black suit case. Inside are a bunch of sock puppets* Ok, so here's what happened,**

***in a high squeaky voice* 'Hi I'm Tifa! I'm afraid of the dark!' *has a sock with a brown haired barbie head glued on it and two plastic bowls***

**Me: uh Reno... are those... her boobs?**

**Reno: Look, you wanted me to do a puppet show. _You_ aren't in the puppet show, so be quiet.**

**Me & Vincent: -.-'**

**Reno: Anyway, *pulls out a Mae sock puppet with two blue eyes glued to it and a poorly painted on face* 'I'm evil! Rawr!' *makes Mae go after Tifa, then throws Tifa's puppet and pulls out a cloud puppet with corn holders glued on for his hair***

***still in a high pitched voice* 'I'll save you!' *throws Cloud puppet and pulls out a Yuffie puppet that has only a bandana and eyes on it***

**'I'm stupid!' *makes the Yuffie doll and Mae doll fight***

**Me: Uh Reno thats not how it happened...**

**Reno: *throws the Yuffie and Mae puppets and pulls out a Vincent puppet that had two large fangs drawn on and black hair taped on it and a black sock with two blue buttons glued on it for eyes***

**Vincent: I'm insulted...**

**Reno: *in a deep voice as Vincent* 'You killed my woman!'**

***in an annoying voice as Reixez* 'I like men!' *starts making the two puppets fight and then grabs a ketchup bottle and squirts it all over both of them***

**Me: O.o uh Reno...? *dodges ketchup as Reno makes screaming noises and flings it all around the room* Abort! *jumps out the window***

**Vincent: ... I'm going home. :**


	37. Red Threat

**: Hey everyone! I'm back, and I seem to be getting back to normal again. I was even able to take a little run for the first time yesterday since the beginning of August :) But alas, all is not well in paradise. Been having relationship troubles and class troubles and car troubles and... well you get the idea. Sigh, idk. I am going to be very busy this month and it doesn't look too promising on any front. My 1 year anniversary is coming up and I'm almost dreading it because I'm terrified something bad is going to happen. Bleh, stress, can't seem to escape it -.-**

**Anyway, enough about me, on to you guys!**

**dreamer-girl-reana: I completely understand about the whole internet being stupid and school getting in the way :) After all it will be getting in the way of this fic too O.o Oh well -.- Lol thanks for reviewing!**

**Caos-lust: Lmao, your reviews always make me smile :) I got your email and I will take a look at chapter 2 of your story over the weekend. Thanks for putting up with my inability to get ANYTHING done in a timely manner lol**

**SweetxPandemonium: Oh the evil internet! Stealing away all my good reviewers Xo Ahem... Anywhoddlies, I can promise nothing on the treatment of characters, my mind has a ... well... mind of its own O.o and my fingers follow that mind... whatever that means XD Anywho, glad to hear from you again! I enjoy writing back :)**

**Luna of the Black Moon: *pokes Genesis* Wooooo! *runs away***

**xlostinmyownworldx: Yay!**

**Reno: My puppet show seems to be a big hit!**

**Me: Yeah, doesn't mean I'm going to let you do it again *evil grin***

**Reno: Awwww...**

**ReneUzumaki16: I'm glad you like the little acts of stupidity at the end of my chapters, I try to get a few laughs or a smile out of them to make up for my mostly horrible cliffhangers, gomen! lol**

**Once again, Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers, you guys are great motivators. I was seriously considering dropping this fic due to all of the crap I'm going through and the serious lack of free time i now have, but I looked at your reviews and knew that i couldn't leave you guys hanging. I will do my best to make each chapter as good if not better then the last. I have in mind how I'm going to end this now too, and let me tell you, its quite the doozy XD Stay tuned!**

**_Note: _**I tried to break up the individual sections in this chapter, given enough motivation I may go back and do the others. BWBWBWBWBWBW is gonna be the bad attempt at creating breaks in the chapter O.o

**Chapter 37**

Vincent thrashed against his restraints, trying again to bite Reixez. He was so close… so very close… And that damnable mouth of his. Vincent was losing his mind listening to the sickening words dripping like venom from Reixez's tongue. The dark haired man smiled and leaned in close, speaking slowly, savoring every ounce of pain and anger that flew through Vincent.

The demi-demon was frantic and experiencing an overload of emotions and desires. Reixez was feeding off of the reactions to his words. He kept coming up with more and more fanciful things to tell him. Well… they weren't _really_ fancy. He had done everything he was telling him, just not all of it to Mae, and not all of it at once. But oh… he was growing hard at the pain flashing in the bound man's eyes and the blood falling from the small cuts Reixez was giving him. One for every tale he told.

"Do you know what its like to rip a woman apart Vincent?" He said the name like it was a forbidden curse, an unspoken taboo. His voice dripped with lust and glee and his eyes frosted over as he remembered the kill. It had been a small red head with big green eyes, walking home humming a sweet country song and dancing under the noon sun. The scent of her blood had been spicy and warm, and her smile had caught Reixez's eye.

Later he saw fit to deliver her pretty lips to her mother in a box. He kept her teeth for himself.

Vincent received another cut across his chest and Reixez danced away gleefully. Vincent fell limp in his restraints once again, pausing to catch his breath, his wounds healing very slowly. He looked at Reixez with a pained looked.

"Why? Why do you do this to people? Why Mae? Why did you have to kill her?" He knew he was showing his weakness, and he knew he would hate himself for it later, but he had to know. Chaos growled in his mind, angry at Vincent, angry at Reixez, and angry that he couldn't force the transformation so he would tear the blue eyed bastards into little bloody shreds. He took his anger out on Vincent, thrashing around in his mind and giving him a splitting head ache.

"Why did I kill her? Why did _I_ kill her?" Reixez laughed, low at first, then gaining speed and a hysterical note. "I didn't kill her! _You_ did!"

"Me…?" Vincent's voice was little and lost. "No," he said, a dark fear growing in his heart. "I did not kill her, you did!"

Reixez twirled his knife and threw it at a wooden board hung on the wall. He sauntered over and pulled it out, his laughter abated and his face blank. He studied the rust covered knife in his hands, turning it over and over and running his fingers over the bumpy surface of the blade.

"I may have physically taken her life, but you are the one who gave me the reason to take it," he said, his voice a quiet deadpan. Vincent wasn't quite sure what to make of his words, but though his anger had numbed some, a creeping fear had wound its way around his heart. His mind was running in circles trying to figure out what the sadistic half-demon was hinting at.

Suddenly it stopped. "No…"

Reixez turned towards him suddenly, his eyes lit with fury, lips pulled back in a soundless snarl, body tense and burning with hatred.

"When you fucked her and took her for your own you sealed her fate! She _knew… KNEW_ that I would kill her the moment she opened her whorish legs for someone else… Mine! She was MINE!" Reixez's body pulsed and his form wavered, shifting between human and monster. The blue in his eyes had expanded to cover the whites and his pupils were little slits, a chasm in the ocean of ice.

Vincent felt that ice steal all the warmth in his body. _He has seen them. He had been there that night when they…_

Reixez let out a howl of rage and wrapped his left hand around Vincent's throat squeezing the breath out of his lungs. His other hand closed itself around the trapped demi-demon's private area. At first he applied no pressure, but then slowly he released the pressure he was applying around Vincent's neck and transferring it to the sensitive pieces parts he was holding in his other hand.

Vincent choked and gasped for air and pulled at the chains around his wrists. Reixez's eyes widened and he moaned in pleasure at Vincent's cries of pain as he slowly added more and more pressure to his grip.

"Wanna fuck her now you weak cocksucker," he hissed in his ear and rubbed suggestively against the other man. "I'll rip your goddamn balls off and make you eat them!"

Vincent's head was swimming and he was in agony, his whole body felt like it was on fire and he knew that he was only seconds from vomiting all over Reixez. Reixez was still screaming at him, punctuating each of his points with a squeeze and making Vincent's world tilt and disappear for a few seconds. He had lost all sense of reality and was halfway gone when Chaos had finally had enough. He launched to the forefront of Vincent's mind and forced his body to lurch forward and bite the blurry figure in front of them.

Reixez barely even felt it when Vincent's teeth sank into him. He was still rubbing up against the demi-demon and squeezing his testicles. Vincent's muted cries of pain had driven him to the edge and it was all he could do to stop himself from draining the man dry of all his blood. He would have to find some little cunt afterwards and sate himself with her body. He was hard as a rock. Ah, but when Vincent bit him, it sent him over the edge, the pain made him lose his mind for a few moments and he lost time.

Chaos sensed the change in Reixez immediately and ripped open the man's throat, drinking all he could, relishing in the burst of strength, even though the taste of the man's blood was horrific. He began to transform, sighing in relief when the pain in his groin and stomach disappeared. The chains around his ankles and wrists snapped. The one around his neck expanded as he grew with him. Before Chaos could tear it off of him, Reixez slammed into him, his skin bright red and his hair falling out all over him as he began to transform.

Drool and blood dripped from the madman's extending jaw, his bones cracking and growing and pulling at his skin grotesquely. Scraps of clothing flew everywhere as his body became too big to stay trapped in the thin material. Chaos backhanded Reixez sending him through the wall and knocking out the supports for the ceiling. He growled as the ceiling in the small cell began to collapse and decided to break through the door and the wall holding it there. He didn't have a lot of time before he would be trapped in his human host's mind, and that angered him. He wanted to kill Reixez, tear him to shreds then burn his remains so he would never rise again.

But he couldn't. Vincent was already stirring.

A scream of rage broke through the rubble and Chaos quickly launched into the air and flew over the remaining ground to the ocean. As soon as he reached the water he dove under it and swam towards the rock where he'd last seen Mae.

* * *

Her whole body was on fire. Was she burning? She couldn't see flames, but then again she couldn't see much of anything. All around the edge of her vision it was dark, and the rest was blurry and out of focus. It felt like someone was stepping on her head and there was cotton in her ears. There was a warm body above her and it was making noises at her, but she couldn't figure out what it was saying.

She saw another shadow move above her and saw it get bigger. Was it getting closer? She didn't know. It was getting colder though, and the darkness at the corner of her vision was getting larger. She tried to move but found that the burning only increased when she did that. The other shadow was making noises too, but these noises were deeper sounding and rumbled.

The most delicious thing she'd ever smelled wafted through the air and she swallowed reflexively, wincing as the fire tore up her throat. She tried to whimper, maybe one of the shadows would take pity on her and share some of that delicious… whatever it was and relieve her pain, but the only thing that came out of her was a low groan. It sounded loud to her and she winced.

It was almost as if liquid ice was suddenly being poured down her throat, and oh… how it felt, so good. Mae swallowed but didn't move towards the delicious life water, afraid to scar it away. Her whole body still burned, even more if that was possible, but she stayed still, locking her body and refusing to move, terrified that the water would go away, and it felt oh so good now as it settled in her chest. The flow seemed to slow now, just as the burning was beginning to move away and she wanted to cry, though she dared not move to grab at the source, or open her tightly closed eyes. She clenched her burning hands at her side and felt the liquid ice slowly spread over her body. It barely eased the burning, but she felt a bit more herself now.

There was more mumbling, one of the voices sounded angry and Mae flinched as something flew past her face. Her whole body jerked and she fought not to move. She felt a little further from the black void then she had been, but she knew that moving around and chasing those delicious smells had brought her much closer much faster, and since the water had come to her when she hadn't been moving, it seemed prudent to stay put.

Once more a drop of liquid ice fell at her lips and she opened them instinctively. More came this time, and even stayed there a little longer then before. It too went away and Mae swished a little of the last bit around in her mouth, savoring the cool flavor of it. It seemed warmer then it had before and the fire in her was dulling, not enough for it to be comfortable, it still hurt, but it was bearable. She felt the blackness move again, and more of her memories started to come back. Her name… Mae… ah yes, that was it. She pushed away other memories and pictures because they made the burning worse and just relaxed against the cool ground beneath her.

Her chest moved slowly, up and down, up and down, and she waited patiently for more of that soothing elixir of life. It was long in coming this time and more angry voices were permeating the barrier she'd put up around her mind. She felt her brow wrinkle in frustration. The voices were angry, surely they couldn't be the source of the elixir could they? Hmm… Mae grew more and more curious as the minutes ticked by and she began to get angry as well. If the angry voices didn't give her more of the elixir soon she would have to go and chase the food sources around herself and waste precious energy.

Oh well, if it was necessary. Mae opened her eyes and the voices grew louder. She sat up, unawares of her speed and found herself looking into very familiar eyes.

"Mae… stay calm, fight the blood lust." The big shadow put its hands on her shoulders and clamped down tightly. Mae frowned and barely resisted the urge to bare her teeth at the man. He too frowned at this.

"You should have had enough blood to bring you back…" Mae smiled at this, her pride growing when many of the people around them stepped back.

"Back," she said hoarsely. "Yes, I am back…" She felt a cool presence slither around in her mind and suddenly a hoard of pictures were slammed into her vision. She reeled from the onslaught, catching herself on the big man's cloak. Her mind felt like it was going to explode due to the excess of information being shoved back into it, but the pain quickly died off leaving a vague sense of vertigo in its wake. Mae watched as the ground slowly moved back and forth and up and down. Her body felt as if it were constantly falling and her arms flailed wildly looking for a solid, stable something to grab onto. Nausea and huger warred with each other in her cramping stomach and she felt her body slowly hit the ground and watched the world go dark again.

* * *

"Quick! Kill her while she's too weak to fight back!" The cry was joined by many of the other angry and affronted members of the small town of Wutai who now gathered in a small circle around the dark haired girl held protectively in her father's arms.

Yuffie sat on the ground nursing her wrist, her mind and heart in turmoil. She did not know whether to take the side of her people, or of the woman she had come to in some ways hate and in others respect. For most it would have been a simple choice, but Yuffie's heart was still filled with guilt at what she had inadvertently done to her. It was her hand that almost took her life and started the flight that lead her into the situation she was now, and even though she had been under a spell, she refused to use that as an excuse.

Ah, but the wayward girl had also stolen her love and broken her heart. Yuffie had never thought herself to be a jealous person, but the dark and hateful emotions that had entered her heart at seeing her Vincent with Mae… well…

Even now it still hurt, the wounds it had left. That part, at least, was not a product of the spell. Yuffie almost wished it was, because then she could throw them away and be done with them, but no, every night they came back and haunted her, even if she had done all she could during the day to distract herself and put on a smile hoping her inner feelings would change into the ones she had been showing everyone.

Admittedly, it hadn't been all that long since she'd gotten home, it had only been a few days, but to her, each minute felt like a life time. She was in a battle with her heart and her mind, both of which seemed to always want to dwell on the pain in the other.

Yuffie bit her lip and curled her legs up into her chest. Her wrist was still throbbing gently where she'd cut it. She didn't know what had possessed her to volunteer her blood for the dark haired woman laying at her feet. Maybe it was because she had been hoping for some type of release, from her heart, from her mind, from some of the pain or guilt… But there was nothing. The aching in her heart easily drown out the aching on her wrist and it was all she could do not to curl up on the ground and cry her heart out. She didn't care about Mae, not at this point. She just wanted the woman to go away. Go away and take Vincent with her because she couldn't stand to see either of them again, especially not the hate or anger or maybe even pity that would be in Vincent's eyes if he ever looked at her again.

The big man named Timothy was speaking again, talking over the crowd, being heard by every one of them even though he wasn't shouting. Different… He was different too, just like Mae, just like Vincent… God… They were all different, freaks, running around destroying lives and causing chaos.

Yuffie felt something new slithering around her chest and grabbed onto it. Anything was better then the pain. Ah… it was warm… She felt the heartache fade a little, and a raging fire replaced it. She was surprised at the quick change, but even that was taken over by the raging wild fire in her heart and she forgot it. A silver blade caught the light and she ran her hands lovingly along her treasured weapon, her shuriken, the permanent extension to her soul. The fire grew.

* * *

**: Me: This isn't a super bad place to stop this chapter...**

**Reno: *playing video-games* DIE! Eat bullets you evil zombie! Bwaaaaaaaaaa! NOOOOO! Don't eat meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Arggg! GODDAMIT! *throws the controller***

**Me: wtf...**

**Vincent: *flicks the switch and the TV and video-game console turns off***

**Reno: *grabs hair and screams while falling to the floor* Noooo! Why! Why would you do that to me! *attacks Vincent***

**Me: O.O uh... *sneaks out of the house* Ahem... well... uh...**

***house blows up***

**Me: my... house... *makes grabby hands at the shutters as they fall to the ground and turn into black sooty dust***

**Reno: *stumbles away from the house completely black with half of his clothes burned off***

**Vincent: *walks away from the house in much the same state***

**Reno: *coughs out a cloud of smoke***

**Me: *anger* Look what you did to my house!**

***They look at the house and then back to me, shrug***

**Me: I here by sentence you to 5 days at the mercy of the giant hoard of Fangirls that go on !**

**Vincent/Reno: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**


	38. O'er the Hills and Through the Mountain

**Chapter 38**

"She's a monster!"

"I saw her! She tried to kill a little boy!"

"…tried to kill Machalai!"

"Kill her!"

"Death to the monster!"

Vile creature… Monster… Evil… All of these words and accusations were ringing in the back of her mind, taunting her as her world span. The rumble of her father's voice was muffled to her, but the voices of the people… oh they were so clear, painfully so, each word practically screamed in her ear, each word dripping with contempt and venom. They ate at her and made her want to die. She was just like him, the man she'd spent the last few years of her life despising and cursing and vowing to kill, and now she was just like him. Oh the irony.

She knew who she was now, where she was, and how she got there, every horrific detail. Oh gods…

Fear and guilt raced like ice through her body and she began to hyperventilate. Her mind was abuzz with her thoughts, the demon's words, speaking to her quickly, and the sounds of hate and bile being spat around her by the crowd of people. A sickening feeling rose up through her body and her heart began to race, pounding loud in her ear. Her stomach dropped and all feelings of hunger vanished, only to be replaced with panic and nausea.

Mae hunched down, curling in on herself, ignoring the rising tone of the demon's voice in her head and the deafening roars of the crowd around her. There were light touches along her senses and a growing pressure in her head. The pounding of her heart grew louder and the rest of the sounds faded into white noise along side the rapid beat of her heart and the sound of her erratic breaths. Tension held her body tight as a string lashed to a bow, and the panic in her heart pulled at that string until it was almost ready to break.

The sound rang through the village, loud as a gun shot, silencing the cries for blood. The string was released and Mae used her body as a battering ram through the crowd and off into the distance, away from the town, away from the screaming people, the smell of blood, and the steady sound of her father's harassed voice. She moved so fast that no one saw her move. Those she ran into were thrown to the ground before they even knew what was going on. Confused looks were thrown around the group, and then more fearful ones when the pale woman was no where to be seen. Neither was the big man.

Yuffie felt the hot feeling in her chest recede a bit. The sound that had been the catalyst in the situation was a bolt spell she'd sent into the ruins of the now empty house of cats. She was relieved that Mae and her father had taken the opportunity to leave. She didn't want to have to compromise her own position any more in her town to "help" them.

She picked up her shuriken and left the stunned crowd of people to their own business. The walk to her house was uneventful, and no one stopped her, probably didn't even notice her with the recent commotion. Her house was empty at the moment and she couldn't be more grateful for that. She tossed her weapon on the nearest mat and sat down at the small table in her kitchen. She already had out an ornate blown glass bottle decorated with dragons and blossoms and painted in gold leaf.

Silently she poured the sake into a matching cup and threw it back, quickly replacing it with another dose of the powerful drink. Her mind was afire with images and thoughts that she was eager to drown in alcohol, her body tense and throbbing in time with the broken vein in her wrist. Without even realizing it the small cup in her hands crumbled under the strength of her grip. It shattered easily and the dense glass shard drove into her hands spilling her blood all over the ornately decorated glass table beneath her. Yuffie didn't even acknowledge the pain. She stared at the blood dripping from her hands as it pooled beneath her arm.

Her eyes were angry, haunted, and full of fire. She slammed aside the sake bottle watching as it shattered against the wall with a satisfying crash. She found she liked the sound of that. It matched her mood perfectly. She grabbed her shuriken with her bloodied hand and stalked out the door to find something more satisfying to destroy.

* * *

Mae flew with unfettering ease through the twisting pathways of the mountain adorned with the face of some ancient god. Coherent thought left her, fueled by out of control emotions. The dirt beneath her feet felt like delicate silk even though it was rough and gravelly, and her whole body felt weightless and the landscape melted before her. Her flight came to an abrupt end when she reached the end of the path. Before her was the ocean seemingly endless in its expanse.

The wind hit her fierce and blew back her hair and clothes as if trying to tear her away from the perilous edge she faced. The first blow the wind struck against her tore with it her tangled emotions. For one moment, one fascinating moment, she was completely devoid of guilt, pain, love, hate, worry, determination, and every other emotion that had so plagued her since the moment she walked in on the murder of her family.

A thud behind her tore the moment away and she turned to find the winged countenance of Chaos before her, bleeding from several wounds. She held herself tall and straight, the demon in her mind flawlessly melting into her subconscious. Mae didn't resist it. She was too tired, to confused, to afraid to face the sins she'd just attempted to commit.

As one, Chaos and Vincent roared and Chaos' form melted into the more human visage of Vincent Valentine. Mae was beginning to understand though, that while there were two forms to him, Chaos was present there in so many ways that even though Vincent looked, smelled and felt human, he was far from that, as was she.

The demon gently pushed the confused thoughts pulsing through Mae's mind away and threaded its influence throughout her body. Mae's fear flared at the intrusion and the move for control and began to battle for dominance. The demon hissed as her and pushed her away as easily as an adult would push away a child.

Vincent drank in the sight of the raven haired woman. Her eyes were the same aqua blue he loved, but they looked as if ice to him, feline and slanted, alien. Her body was held straight, relaxed, confident, and yet he could feel a conflict raging inside of her. His body was not so relaxed, he wanted nothing more then to throw himself at her and hold her against him for days until he was sated. She was alive… alive…

Reixez words flooded back to him, the details of her death… and he hesitated. What if… what if she wasn't standing there in front of him, alive and confident, a small smile pricking the corner of her mouth, what if he had finally lost his mind and was seeing phantoms? He'd seen her body for himself, touched her and found nothing alive. His initial elation faded to concern and caution. He saw the smile grow marginally.

"Mae?" Even to him his voice sounded haunted, hollow and nothing more then a plea.

The phantom in front of him dropped the smile and closed its eyes.

"I…" When the eyes opened again there was pain and guilt and relief and a whole torrent of emotions jumbled around and quarreling within the lit aqua depths.

Vincent needed nothing more. He crossed the distance in milliseconds and Mae was in his arms, confused and happy and sad and so many other things. She sobbed, but no tears graced her eyes. Vincent buried himself in her hair and laughed and cursed and held her tighter.

Mae felt the cold presence of the demon recede. She did not know why it had surfaced in the first place, and felt no need to probe it for answers. She didn't know what to do with herself, but the warm embraced full of love that held her was all she wanted to know at the moment and so she wrapped herself in the scent, warmth and sound of Vincent. He was mumbling and making strange noises and even talking, though she did not listen. Her mind was stretched thin and she did her best to keep it from tearing itself apart by focusing on the moment. She didn't care that an entire village of people might be coming to kill her right this moment, as they should, or that she had been brought close to madness through lack of blood, or that Reixez could right this moment be coming to finish what he started or even that Tifa and Cloud and Cid might all hate her for her actions and deem fit to kill her at the next encounter.

None of it mattered.

Nothing mattered.

Nothing but the man wrapped around her, holding her and loving her as much as she loved him, even if it hurt to admit it.

* * *

**:: I have more chapters ready to be uploaded but I'm probably going to space them out to every 2 weeks because I have very little time to write and I've been through alot in the past few weeks. Hell I got into an accident about 2 hours ago. It wasn't serious, but still... Idk. Things have just been hard, but I hope that it all gets better. I hope your lives are not nearly as complicated as mine -.-'**

**Thanks for continuing to read even though I have not uploaded for so very long. As always, read and review, and know that I really appreciate your feedback.**


	39. The Free Bird Flies Away

**:: Hey people! Been kinda tough on me for the past few weeks. I haven't gotten a whole lot done writting wise but I do have this chapter for you. I can't say when I'll be able to crank out the next one (its almost done but I want to get another finished before posting the other). My classes are getting rediculous, but hopefully over spring break I'll be able to find some time to get writting done. My weekend are none existent, lol. The homework NEVER ENDS.**

**Anywho, on to the reviews! (cuz i should totally be doing my lab report on extraction with benzoic acid and naphthalene O.o)**

**Shiden Blade: **LOL. Omg, I loved reading your review *grabs Vinnie* give back the book, behave, no eating cookies.

Vincent: Since when did I listen to you?

Me: Since I hold the keyboard XD

Vincent: *sweat drop*

**Alyssa:** Yeahhhhh, and the worst part was that after my bf got in a car accident my car started to rev really weird making the car shoot forward at random times, and shoot up to 3000 RPMs in park for no reason so I had to take it in to a shop. My poor poor car, and my poor bank account -.-

**Emaya Taku:** Lolz, yeah english! It sucks that your english class... well, sucks. You should bring some streamers and part poppers and a really old radio and just party at random before your teacher gets there and then pretend like nothing happened when they do get there XD. We did that to my english teacher a few times and the poor old bat had no clue what do do other then yell the whole class period. Hehehe. My class was evil. Glad your still reading!

**Caos-lust:** Thanks for sticking with my story and with me! See you on facebook!

**Starry Blossom:** Well I'm glad my humor amuses you XD

Reno: She loves me! Everyone loves meeeeeeeee!

Vincent: Who is telling him lies? Sit down Reno, I have to tell you something.

Reno: What? Finally ready to admit I'm awesome! *runs away*

Vincent: Your dying.

Reno: WHAT? *stops*

Vincent: No one loves you.

Reno:... I hate you

Vincent: I love you too. *leaves*

Reno: ...

Me: ... O.o

Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 39**

The next three days were no more then a blur for Mae. Vincent took her hunting and in that way she replenished her blood loss, then he had her wait in a relatively safe area while he went and smoothed things over with Tifa, Cloud and Cid. Her father had gone missing. Yuffie had gone back into hiding, and when checked on, Red XIII had gone missing from the room he'd been placed in. Mae was reluctant to return to the airship, and did not want to face the others.

When Vincent had come back for her, he had refused to talk about the others, saying that she needed rest and then he would talk to her in the morning. He led her back to the ship, which immediately left Wutai and flew out to sea. On the way to her room she passed several people, only personnel working the ship though, and all of them skittered away from her with hasty apologies and nervous glances. Mae was exhausted, and did her best to ignore them.

When they reached her room Vincent ushered her into the bathroom and ran a nice warm bath and helped her in. He did not stay, but promised to be back soon. He returned with food and after eating Mae let him tuck her in to bed. She did not think she would sleep, and was beginning to get nervous, until Vincent slid into bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close until nothing matter but him. Sleep eventually claimed her and Mae knew no more. She slept all night and through the next day and night, waking on the following morning.

As she woke up, she stretched, relieving her sore muscles and cracking a few achy bones. Reluctant to get up she laid in the bed staring at the ceiling, letting the smell of sleep and Vincent calm her, almost back into a state of sleep. The engine shuddered and slowed and Mae felt the ship lurch a little. Immediately the pit of her stomach lurched. She didn't want to face anyone yet. There was no excuse for her actions, she had attacked them, had attacked a village of innocents and even remembered threatening Tifa at some point, though the memory was blurry. Mae hopped out of bed, dismayed to find no clean clothes of her own, and so pulled on her torn tank, one of Vincent's button up shirts and a pair of shorts that used to be jeans before she cut off the torn up legs. They weren't clean but they would do.

Resigning herself to looking like a small child in her father's clothes she looked towards the door and the nervous energy returned.

"I am not a coward," she said unconvincingly, "and I will atone for my actions… I just hope they don't see fit to kill me…" The door opened quietly enough, but the floor seemed determined to give her a heart attack after every step by groaning under her slight weight. The hallway looked worse for wear and Mae winced every time a scrap or dent in the wall or paint caught her attention. She made her way up towards the main deck, but chickened out when she heard Cid's burly voice arguing with Vincent's subdued voice. A board creaked behind her and she fled, running down to the observation deck, heaving a sigh of relief when it was free of blood and when she saw that no one had followed her.

Mae leaned on the railing, letting her head roll forward into the wind. It picked at her hair and gently lifted the light button up shirt up and away from her skin. It felt good, standing there in the sun, the warm rays warming her chilled pale skin, shining ever so delicately in the golden light. They were no longer over the ocean but over a forest. Mae was unsure where they were, but she marveled at the sight of it. The cool morning air lifted a small flock of blue birds that found it fun to chase the Shera in its slow drift to its next destination.

One of the blue birds flew over to her and tried to grab a strand of hair, probably to bring back to its nest. Mae allowed a small smile and in a swift move, so as not to frighten the bird, she pulled the hair it was grabbing at, and let the bird take it. Chirping wildly it flew back to its flock and they all flew over to get a piece. Mae laughed and shooed them away. They saw fit to sing none the less and it calmed her heart.

"_As long as I'm here, no one can find me unless they want to, which saves me the trouble of going to them. If they come to me, they want to, if I go to them I have to deal with the awkward stares, or the hostile glares or the heavy air of argument that ran silent when they noticed me… I just… I just can't… not yet…"_

Feeling ashamed, but wanting to chase the feeling away, Mae swung her legs over the railing and sat on the edge, knowing she was strong enough to hold herself there, but also knowing that if she was careless she could fall. It sent a thrill through her that chased away all thoughts of the others. From where she was, it looked as if there was no ship, and even though she knew it was there holding her up, if she closed her eyes, it felt like she was flying. Mae leaned her head back and let the wind hold her.

It was this scene that Vincent walked into. Mae's skin glowed in the light of the new morning, her raven hair glossy and blowing in the wind, the curls wild and untamed. Her head was thrown back baring the delicate lines of her throat, making Vincent's dry. She wore one of his button-up shirts, it was hanging off of her, exposing the torn, barely there, loose tank underneath it, which revealed more skin. With her head still back, Mae opened her eyes, and the aqua jewels caught the light like nothing else, standing out against the dark fringe of lashes framing them.

She looked like an angel…

There, sitting in the light, glowing, with that small smile on her face, she looked like a creature of the light, pure and alive, not at all like the dark hunted woman she was. A part of him mourned for her, mourned the fact that her life had been stolen from her before she'd barely begun to live it. And another part was happy because if it hadn't happened, she might not be here now, might not be sitting in the sun waiting for him to find her.

Though reluctant to ruin the beautiful scene in front of him, Vincent had to follow the undeniable urge to touch the smooth pale skin that called to him. He moved swiftly and quietly over to Mae, placing his hands on her waist to steady her and burying his face in the crevice between her neck and shoulder, just to breath in her soft clean scent. It pleased him when Mae did not flinch at his touch, but rather moved into it, as if she'd known he was there the whole time. He wondered silently if she had, and if it had all been an act with which to entice him, but quickly abandoned the idea. The look of serenity on her face was never there when she was after something. That look had been one he'd only seen when she was sleeping and was blind to the world around her.

Mae leaned further back into the warmth offered to her by Vincent's arm, loving the war of warm and cold between the sun, air and now Vincent. In that brief moment she allowed herself to forget everything, all of the recent happenings the blood and the anger and the fear, and even Reixez.

"I hate to spoil your mood," Vincent said, reluctantly breaking their comfortable silence. Mae stiffened slightly, almost as if she knew what was coming. "But I think you need to go and talk to Cid, Cloud and Tifa now…"

Mae shivered in the suddenly cold air and pulled herself back over the railing, feeling weak. The banister felt rough now under her hands and she noticed claw marks in it. Her stomach began to churn. Vincent, sensing her change in mood put his hand on her shoulder, but instead of helping her, it just made the weight she was carrying seem heavier.

"I know," she said quietly. Vincent removed his hand. Mae didn't look at him. The floor beneath her feet was wood. When she'd first came out, she had noticed that it was free of blood, but now that the light wasn't so very bright, she noticed that it was stained. She shivered.

Vincent once again reached for her, but Mae stepped out of his reach and walked up the stairs and into the airship. He sighed and followed.

* * *

The looks that greeted her on the main deck made her shiver and wrap the black button up around her. Shame made her face burn and her eyes unable to meet those of the people on the deck. She could feel their eyes boring into her. One by one she tried to meet their eyes, but after only a few seconds her own skittered away. She didn't hear Vincent follow her, and felt very alone. Was he going to make her face them by herself? Mae mentally shook herself. Of course he was, this was all her fault. He didn't do any of this, didn't do anything like try and kill a bunch of people like a blood crazed maniac. Nope.

Ah, but still her heart hurt. It felt like he was abandoning her. Shying away from those thoughts Mae once again tried to look up, this time into Cid's eyes, but she was surprised to find him looking at some papers and not at her. She looked over to Cloud and Tifa. They too were busying themselves with other things. It was still awkwardly silent, but they were no longer staring at her. She wasn't sure if they were ignoring her to shun her or if they were doing her a favor.

Opening her mouth to say… what was she going to say? Closing her mouth, Mae felt her mind slipping away from her. She couldn't remember. She looked back towards the door leading to the rest of the ship. It was dark compared to the brightly lit room. She immediately became aware of the fact that she looked bed-raggled and probably had huge circles under her eyes and her shorts had blood on them. A sigh escaped her lips. No matter how much she wanted to run back into that ship her legs wouldn't allow her. And no matter how much she wanted to go up and get on her knees in front of Cloud and Tifa and beg for forgiveness, her feet were planted to the ground and would budge. And no matter how much she wanted Cid to laugh and hug her and tell her she was being stupid while smoking his cancer sticks, she knew he wouldn't.

As the time passed, Mae grew more and more uncomfortable, even jumping when Cid dropped a pile of books and papers in favor of a rolled up map. Cloud polished his sword, which made Mae very nervous, and Tifa sowed up a pair of busted leather gloves. Every little sound built up inside of her, every scrape from Cloud's sword, every plop from Cid's papers, and every groan from Tifa's gloves. The tension coiled in her until finally Cloud threw the cloth he was polishing the sword with across the room and stood. In a flash Mae fled back into the airship and ran for the Chocobo stables.

The giant yellow birds started nervously when she ran in and dove into a pile of hay, yanking out her deadly blade and beaten leather backpack. Footsteps and voices down the hall sent a shot of fear through her and she dove into a stall behind a fat mother Chocobo. It was the same mother who'd slept next to her during her first night on the ship. Sensing her fear the Chocobo crooned quietly and pushed up next to Mae, concealing her from the rest of the room. Mae scratched the big bird and silently thanked her. Muffled voices reached her through the cloud of yellow feathers.

"Is she in here?" It was a male voice, but Mae couldn't tell who's it was.

"I saw her run in here," said another voice. It was a gravelly voice. Probably one of Cid's assistants.

"Are you sure?" Mae sat up a little, trying to listen to the voice and see if it was Cloud or not. She was more afraid of him then the others. She could win in a fight against Cid or Tifa without either of them getting hurt, but Cloud… he was different. She saw the sheen of Mako in his eyes and the power and single mindedness with which he fought. His eyes reminded her of Reixez's.

A board creaked near her and she jerked down, afraid that she might have been seen.

"Mae." The voice was calm, confident, and commanding. It was also Cloud.

Her heart jolted up into her throat and Mae could have sworn the stupid thing was clamoring to be heard it was beating so loud. Shaking a little, Mae pushed further into the mother Chocobo. The big bird, sensing her unease lifted her head from where it had been tucked in her wing and looked at Cloud. Mae couldn't see the blond haired warrior, but she could see the Chocobo's head, looking straight ahead at the person standing over her. A black gloved hand reached out to the Chocobo mother's head and she reared back and snapped at it, squawking angrily. Mae had jumped at the sound, but so did Cloud who cursed loudly and backed off. Mae heard him walk back towards the other end of the stable.

"I wonder what's gotten into her today… Alright, well she's not in here, let's look somewhere else."

As soon as she could no longer hear the footsteps Mae forced herself to relax and gently wormed her way out from under the wing of her foster mother. The plump Chocobo crooned and nuzzled her hair, picking out stray strands of feathers. Mae smiled despite her nervousness and hugged the neck of the big bird.

"Thank you my protective mother hen!" The bird kweh'd happily and went back to sleep. Mae slung the back pack and sword strap over her shoulder. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't stay here, that was obvious, but she didn't really want to leave. She'd felt safe in the airship, she felt _happy_ here, with these people. She hated herself for what she'd done, even if it was involuntary.

And Vincent…

She couldn't bear the thought of leaving him. Damn her stupid heart, it had fallen in love with the mysterious red eyed man. And damn him for letting her. Her head drooped and she leaned against a post. Bringing her hands to her face, Mae tried to will away the headache popping up between her eyes. Would he come with her? She didn't know. And, when he told her to go and talk to them, did he know they would be hostile? Or that they would react the way they did? Why didn't he come _with_ her? She might have been able to gather enough courage with him at her back!

A hand dropped onto Mae's shoulder.

* * *

**:: So, you knew this was coming... kinda... yeah. Well...**

**Vincent: Go do you homework.**

**Me: But...**

**Vincent: Now.**

**Me: Aww... ok mommy.**

**Vincent: ... evil.**


	40. Back to the Basics

**Ha! And you thought I had forgotten about you ^_^ Well I didn't! And I'm back! I'm hoping to finish off this story. I don't have a lot of free time between my internship, work, arranging for my a cappella group, and trying to graduate college, but I will do what I can when I should be working XD. Enjoy!**

**PS: This chapter really isn't up to snuff but I gotta get back into the groove of things. Comments and constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Chapter 40**

A scream rose up in her throat, but another hand was over her mouth before she had the chance. The rigid body behind her was NOT Vincent. Kicking and squirming, Mae tried to free herself, but when she could gain no purchase she gave up, breathing heavily and readying herself for whatever was to come.

"Calm down…" The big burly voice chased away the panic in Mae, but the feeling was quickly replaced by shame. She relaxed her body and the hold on her was released. Timothy took a step back and held Mae at arms length. She looked away from him, feeling once again like a small child in his presence.

"Why did you run Mae?"

She opened her mouth ready to shout angrily that they were cold to her, that they had been hostile, that she'd tried to tell them she was sorry but just knew they would have rejected her apology, but stopped short when she realized how very childish it sounded. And how very untrue. There had been tension in the room, but for all she knew they might have been waiting for her to make the first move, which would make sense, since she was the one apologizing.

Mae closed her mouth and sighed.

"I don't know… I guess I was scared, afraid of what they would say… I don't think I'm ready to face them yet. I don't know what to say to them! I don't really remember much of what happened, but I know it was horrible! I remember the village and people screaming, and I think I might have hurt Tifa…" She shivered when she remembered the cold way Cloud was polishing his sword. Like he was getting it ready.

"You cannot wait forever. You have to talk to them sometime."

"No I don't, I can just run away right now and never see them again! Who would stop me?" Again Mae sighed. Both she and Timothy knew she was lying to herself. She couldn't leave. Not now that Reixez knew they were all involved. And because he knew about her and Vincent… "Aw, who am I kidding?" Mae plopped down on the dirty wooden floor. Timothy eased himself down next to her and folded his arms in his lap.

"Just tell them. Don't make excuses, don't embellish, just tell the truth. If they reject you, then fine, you can leave. I will go with you. But you may be surprised."

Mae laid her head on her knees. For a while she just listened to the soft noises of the Chocobo's and the gentle hum of the ship's engine, thinking about the reactions that might greet her when she reappeared. She'd made it harder on herself by running away. If anything they'd lost even more respect for her. It was quite a display of cowardice. She grimaced as she looked at it from their perspective. She'd think she was a coward too.

"I hardly know these people, and yet their opinion means so much to me…" And it was true. She didn't really know any of them, not well at least. She'd trusted them with her life and she'd trusted her best friends with less and she'd known them for most of her life. And Vincent… she'd shared so much of herself with him without even realizing it, and yet the man was still a mystery to her. She knew close to nothing about his past, where he came from, how he and Chaos joined, nothing.

A deep sadness settled over her. There was just so much… so very much… It was sad, she realized, that her life was less complicated when it was just a deadly dance between her and Reixez. Life consisted of running, finding food, a place to sleep, and surviving when he did manage to find her. Now…

Now she found herself tied down to a man she knew, but didn't know, who had somehow managed to steal her heart and make her feel things she'd never thought she'd feel. And to make matters worse, it could all be taken from her in a heartbeat, almost was, and that scared her. Terrified her really. But Vincent, it almost seemed like it was nothing to him. A walk in the park. Where was he anyway? Was he looking for her now? What was he thinking?

Gods, but wasn't she pathetic. Couldn't keep him off her mind long enough to think about the pressing issue searching for her right now, the one she'd have to face once they finished searching the rest of the airship and came looking for her, and judging by the level of chatter outside of the stables that was steadily growing louder, it wouldn't be much longer.

Timothy, her father, bless his soul was still sitting there, waiting ever so patiently. He'd always been that way, immovable, solid as a mountain. Even though he wasn't good with things like this, he had always tried. He'd been her ally when she couldn't turn to her mom because she was mad or upset or just too busy. He had been busy too, and didn't know what to do, but he would come and sit by her for a long time. They would just be there, silent, not even really thinking too much, but just him being there, the act of _being there_ made it better somehow.

Mae closed her eyes. Breathing in and out slowly helped ease the tension and nervous energy in her, and by the time Tifa ran into the stables, followed closely by Cloud, she was ready.

"I'm sorry." She said before they could say anything. When silence followed, she decided she should try to continue. "I'm sorry for what happened, what I did… I… I don't really remember a lot of it… I remember the pain, the thirst… and-" she almost said the screaming, but figured that probably wasn't the best way to put it. At a loss of how to continue, she let her mouth close and relaxed back into the trance-like state she'd lured herself into. A few more minutes went by before she began again, never once letting her eyes wander to them. Her gaze stayed fixated on the pile of hay in front of her, even though she was talking, her eyes were devouring the hay, how the thin pieces lit up in the sunlight, how the colors differed depending on how the light hit, the way the light wrapped around the bundle, meaningless details to keep her distracted.

"I have no excuse for my actions, and I can never ask forgiveness from those I may have hurt in the town, but… I ask that you might forgive me enough that we can continue to work together… Reixez will not leave you along now even if I go. I am also sorry to have brought _that_ particular nightmare upon you."

Once again the silence continued until a very loud cursing voice made its way to the stables.

"… don't care what you think she's-" the voice stopped. There were some hurried whispers and then there was a light touch on her shoulder. Mae mentally pulled away from herself, her body feeling strangely numb.

"You know you're forgiven, we're just happy you are alive," Cid said gently in her ear. Mae almost didn't believe him, it took a minute for what he said to register.

Aqua eyes turned almost shyly to him, looking dazed and confused, and so hopeful, Cid almost reached out and hugged the silly girl.

"Really? But… but why?" She plunged on before Cid could reply. "What about my actions? What about the people I hurt!"

Cid sighed, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit up and sat down next to her. He took a long drag from it and held it in his lungs for a long while, only to blow it out of his nose. He looked like a brooding dragon. It would have been funny any other time, but Mae was not in a laughing mood. The smoke smelled horrible and it made her lungs burn when she breathed it in, but she said nothing and did her best not to cough. Finally Cid began to talk. He flicked some ash from the end of the cigarette.

"What happened was bad, but to the best of my knowledge you didn't mean for it to happen. You even had a moment when you warned off Tifa and Cloud before you… left the Shera."

Mae noticed how he dodged around with his words, she looked down, ashamed anew of her actions. Even if they were out of her control, she felt as if she could have done _something_. Cid continued.

"Besides Mae, you came back from the dead! I'm surprised there weren't more serious repercussions!" Mae gave him a ghost of a smile for his support. She was happy he wasn't mad at her, but she was sure that Tifa would never be completely relaxed around her ever again, and that Cloud would also be distant… well more distant then he already was.

Cid noticed her continued reluctance and took another long drag. As he talked the smoke came out of his mouth in small bursts, lingering in the air. "We've all made mistakes, and not all of them have been under our control. We dwell of things we should have done, could have done, but there was nothing you could have done. Besides, no one died, and there were only some scrapes and bruises." He didn't mention that she threw Timothy through a house, but since this was still a delicate subject he figured it was best left for later.

Mae turned her gaze towards the floor. Cid let her dwell in her thoughts for a few minutes before putting out his cigarette and getting ready to leave. He stood and motioned for Tifa and Cloud to go ahead of him. Mae hadn't looked at the pair since they entered, afraid of what she'd see in their eyes. But still, Cid had made her feel better, and they hadn't said anything to make her feel bad or uncomfortable, so she called for them to wait.

Her aqua eyes looked up slowly and caught in the light.

"Thank you."

Cid nodded. They left.

Her father put his hand on her shoulder, nodded a goodbye and followed.

Vincent found her still sitting there about an hour later. He sat down next to her and took her hand. He too sat silently, as her father had. And it was nice to just sit there; to just _be_ for a while. But all things must come to an end, and Mae knew that Reixez wouldn't give them much time for moments like this.

* * *

Wutai was long behind them and they found themselves once again in the vicinity of the Forgotten City. It was funny, Mae thought, how everything had come back to this magical, abandoned forest. The heavy air, dreamy visage of the trees, the feel of the earth pulsating beneath her with a heartbeat as strong as her own left her feeling more alive than before. She found that the closer they drew to the city, the less she could stand the closed in confines of the ship. More and more she let her feet take her to the small deck, still stained with her own blood.

Strangely that thought didn't bother her anymore. Even the wary way people were regarding her in the ship began to pass by her unnoticed. Her limbs were twitchy with power and the demon in her head had begun to hum happily. Something about this city, something about the land called to her soul. Dreams of the girl in pink had also returned. Not the dreams that had beckoned her there the first time, but stranger dreams. Some were happy, some not so happy. In more than one of the dreams, the woman in pink died at the hands of a silver haired man. Mae did not recognize him, but the cold gleam in his eyes reminded her of the way Reixez looked her sometimes.

Other dreams…. Well they seemed odd to her. She would talk with the woman in pink. Sometimes about how life was, how she missed her family, other times they told funny stories to see who could make the other laugh more. She seemed to know Cloud and the others, though for some reason Mae could never remember to ask her why. She would have just asked Cloud himself, but she had decided not to force conversation with anyone, and they seemed content with the silence so far. She couldn't blame them.

A small twinge of regret shot through her, but the demon in her head quickly shooed it away. It did not like these feelings that passed so frequently through its human host and sought to free her and her human host of them as much as possible. Mae didn't seem to mind. The reprieve from the feelings of guilt and fear that constantly plagued her was like a small vacation. Vincent had noticed her change in mood a couple days ago and mentioned it briefly, but Mae didn't offer much of an explanation. He'd come out and sit with her sometimes, but had been leaving her to herself most of the time. She missed his presence when he wasn't around, but the information flooding her senses from all the smells and sights around her were enough to keep her pleasantly occupied.

It wasn't long before night settled again. Cid had stopped the ship just shy of the Forgotten City. She assumed they hadn't meant to stop at the strange city, but Mae figured they wouldn't mind if she went down there for a bit. She slid off of the rail she'd been sitting on and opened the door to the ship. One of the mechanics had been posted outside the door ever since she'd begun spending so much time out on the deck. He jumped slightly at her entrance, but quickly composed himself. Mae ignored him.

She padded quietly back to Vincent's room and silently opened the door. He wasn't there. Her things were right where she left them by the night stand. It didn't take long for her to take stock, strap on her sword and check her materia. She didn't want to enter the forest unarmed. It was notoriously deadly when it wanted to be. Haunted creatures and rejects from the Lifestream drifted there, some searching for answers, others for death. Most all of them were violent.

Her previous visit to the forest had been strangely uneventful until Reixez had caught up to her, but she didn't expect that to be the norm. The forest welcomed her, but it was still alien to her. She'd also spilled a lot of blood during her last visit. The creatures there would sent her and remember her. Even with that morbid thought, the urge to advance towards the forest had Mae back out to the deck and climbing over the rail. The guard had wandered off, presumably to switch out with someone else and Mae was grateful for the lack of attention. She didn't need someone raising a fuss.

She tied a rough hemp rope to the sturdiest looking part of the rail and stepped back. It was a clear night, not a single cloud in the sky. Even though the air felt cool on her skin, her body was hot and nervous with energy. The moon hung fat and full and the call of its light made her heart sing. She began to hum along with her demon. Her legs jolted her body into motion and soon she was flying through the air towards the dark forest below. No fear at the sheer madness of jumping hundreds of feet to the ground hit her, just pure elation at the feeling of being free. For the first time ever she felt free. The rope pulled in her hands and she let it slow her fall enough to land with grace.

She still had some distance to cover before she'd be in the Forgotten City. Leaving the rope she started a light run towards the city that evolved into a flat out sprint. Until she felt that heavy air, the breath of the land and the pull of the alien trees she wouldn't stop.

* * *

**:: So yeah, not as great as the other chapters were, but I gotta start back somewhere. I'm hoping to bring this story to a good close, whether or not thats going to happen in 2 chapters or 10 I don't know. Alot of times my stories write themselves, I don't really plan them, they just kinda happen. I get into a writing mood and just kinda watch a movie in my head while my fingers try furiously to describe it. So hopefully the next chapter will be much improved. I hope to hear back from you!**


	41. Cosmic Kitty

**::Back with another chapter! Hopefully this one is a little better. Reviews are welcomed with gifts of cookies and caffeine!**

**SweetxPandemonium: OMG I was so happy that you are still following this story. I missed hearing from you! I find it hilarious that I was able to picture you shouting yay and making your fiance give you silly looks ^_^ I still have the ability to cause random people confusion! Bwahaha! I also never forgot about you guys, life just got really really insanely busy and I hit serious writers block from large amounts of stress. I promise that I will try my best to not let things get the best of me and keep from finishing this story :) I'm glad you stuck around, cuz I think I owe you like 10 million cookies O.o I'll start with a really happy Reno cookie with a lop-sided smile on it XD **

**AnSiogOlc:**** I've been wanting to write the next chapter for forever, but I seriously lost inspiration and had no clue where the story wanted to go next. I lost the primary thought that let this whole story unfold the way it did. Which was no thought O.o So instead of worrying about how I wanted to continue, I just started writing, and I'm going to try and keep doing that, so that the story doesn't get lost again. Thanks for reading! *gives you a Cid cookie***

**Chapter 41**

Vincent felt Chaos rise to the forefront of his mind. The moon was full and it was his night to run. The change was painless; coming so quick that Vincent didn't have time to fight it. Luckily he asked Cid to dock for a night in a remote area so he could get far enough away from them that he wouldn't have to worry about injuring anyone. Chaos let out a roar and reveled in the freedom he was allotted for one night a month. Vincent retreated to the corners of his own mind. Normally on the night of the full moon he fought to gain some semblance of control from the demon, at least enough that he could see what was taking place. It was a futile effort, but he still felt the need to try.

This night was different. He was preoccupied with thoughts of Mae. She had been acting strange lately; stranger than usual. She had been almost living out on the deck of the airship, getting testy and irritated whenever she was forced to return to its confines. She'd also taken to sleeping out there most nights, leaving him to himself. Normally this wouldn't bother him, hell, he'd welcome it, but his new found feelings for the woman left him tossing and turning and missing the small weight of her next to him. He would occasionally join her out there, but it was not contusive to sleep, and he felt odd and out of place. Mae hardly even acknowledged his presence, and he had been unsuccessful in gaining any insight from talking to her.

He would have thought her silence was due to the general feel of unease on the airship ever since her attack, but Mae seemed not to notice anymore. She even seemed happy. It was a good thing, he guessed, but still, something seemed odd about it. He'd tried to find her before his transformation, but she hadn't been out on the deck. He had meant to ask her if her pact with the demon was similar to his in that they had the night of the full moon to themselves, but what with all of the chaos of the past few days, it had slipped his mind until tonight.

Even though he worried about her, he knew there was nothing he could do. This night belonged to Chaos. He'd have to trust the demon to look out for his wayward woman.

* * *

Light footsteps propelled her faster and faster towards the thrumming heartbeat of this land. As she ran her medium length curls flew back from her, growing longer and losing the midnight black color that had always resided there. Blue and silver streaks melted down through her raven locks and out to the tips, tickling the back of her thighs. Once short cropped nails grew out, strong and tipped in a red purple color, ready for flesh to open cleanly under their careful touch. Her skin began to tingle and engulf the air around her, taking it in, relishing in its touch. Fangs that had felt so foreign sat comfortably in her mouth.

Mae knew she was no longer herself, knew that the demon was there, with her in the fore front of her mind. But it felt so good she didn't care. These sensations, overloading her mind, her body; they made her feel alive. The demon reveled in it too, her being stretching out from Mae's mind to take over her body. Even her clothes had changed, their color bleaching out and falling into light airy robes that flew open with the wind. Her body shape didn't change into that of a beast as Reixez and Vincent, but Mae felt that the demon rather preferred speed over sheer brute power. In this form she felt like she could fly faster than the wind.

"**Ah… humans, so lucky as to see with these magnificent eyes…" **

Mae felt their feet slow as they reached the Forgotten City. Her vision grew brighter and more vivid, all of the colors jumping off of the trees and sending sparks of light to her eyes. A small red symbol appeared on her forehead and her back began to tingle. She felt the bones shifting under her skin, waiting for her to call forth her wings.

"Can you not see with your eyes?" Mae asked the demon. Her voice had changed as well. It was husky and had a deeper more melodic tone to it.

"**No. My sight comes only from within unless I use another's."**

Mae nodded to herself. She remembered the blind-fold that had covered the demon's eyes when they first met. So many questions raced through her head, but Mae felt best not to pry. After all there was so much here to experience, to feel, to smell and hear. To must to miss and still she felt the call of the forest.

When she first entered the forest the dirt beneath her feet had been cold and hard, unwelcoming; but this time seemed different. The silt beneath her feet was smooth, like the finest sand, yet warm and inviting. It gave slightly under her foot, cradling it. The trees too seemed different. They had once been a glowing blue color, and now they seemed to shift through the spectrum of blue color and molt into whatever colors the trees decided to feel. As if they were responding to her happy mood they took on a coral pink color and gave off a smooth sweet scent. Mae was taken aback by how different this new world before her was. Whether it was the demon's influence or her new found aura giving her new powers, things had changed, and she wasn't sure she minded.

Each step further into this hidden paradise led to even more surprises. Small colorful bugs and diverse plant life that she hadn't noticed before seemed to call out a song. Without realizing it Mae had even began to move with it, blending her own song with theirs. Each bubbling stream reflected unseen light into myriads of prismatic delight, throwing rainbows at the forest. The trees felt like velvet against her skin and the leaves grabbed the light out of the air like little black holes.

This place… this paradise… Mae couldn't get enough of it. Once again she began running through the forest, past old abandoned houses shaped from giant sea shells and forgotten coral walkways, further and further into the city, until she came to a small clearing. Several silver marble pillars jutted out gracefully from a small crystal clear pond. The whole area glittered in the phosphorescent light from the trees.

Suddenly thirsty, Mae walked down to the water to drink. The water was pleasantly cool to her feet, and slid softly along her skin. It smelled fresh and clean and tasted like liquid sunlight. Giddy with power, she slipped under the water, reveling in the feeling of weightlessness. A small glint of light caught her eye and she swam over to one of the pillars. A small materia sat innocently in the sand and glowed mischievously at her.

Mae touched its cool surface and felt a sharp pain in her back. She jerked away.

"_Be still…" _a voice spoke into her head. _"Areao, mistress of the wind, I bid thee no harm…"_

The cool presence of the demon Areao gently took control; her alien movements in Mae's mind were unsettling.

"**Interesting…"** Areao said. She felt out the word, saying it again, rolling the word over Mae's tongue. **"A Holy materia. I haven't seen one of these in ages…" **Delicately, almost reverently, the demon reached out and picked up the glowing gem. It flickered, and Mae saw a flash of pink in its reflection. **"Blood has been spilt for this one…"**

Areao allowed Mae to swim back to the surface. The materia was heavy in her hand and she tried to catch a glimpse of the presence in the materia that spoke to her before. The gem became hot to the touch and pushed gently off her hand, sending out waves of warmth and energy. Mae's silver blue locks were blown back from her face, drying her body and clothes instantly. The materia floated from her hand towards her chest. Though Mae wanted to back away, Areao held her still, allowing the materia to make contact with her skin.

It burned her skin, and alarmed her, but Mae felt that the strange materia wouldn't hurt her. It pushed open her being and settled at her heart before going quiet. The forest also began to quiet down to Mae's disappointment and Areao sighed contentedly. This was one of the best full moon's she experienced in the past millennium. Shame it was over so soon. The sun was starting to creep over the horizon.

* * *

Vincent woke up by the ocean, the smell of salt and sand assaulting his senses. His body was sore and stiff, but at least the demon in his mind was sated for another month. The Shera was floating a few hundred yards away, and all Vincent could think of was a nice hot shower. He started the walk back, stretching his calves and shoulders while he walked. He stopped to stretch out his other muscles when a small noise caught his attention. The scent of flowers tickled his nose.

"Mae?"

A small figure appeared at the edge of the forest. It had long silver blue hair and other strange features.

"Vincent…" it said in a strangely familiar voice. Captivated, he approached the female and watched in awe as she shed her demonic appearance. The silver and blue disintegrated and blew away with the wind to reveal curly raven hair, the pointed nails retracted and the other features melted away.

"Did you… I mean your demon…?"

"Take over me for the night?" she said wearily. "I guess you could say that." Dark circles rimmed her eyes and her stomach growled loudly. "Can we talk about it later? I need to eat…"

Mae sat back from the table, her stomach comfortably full. She had told Vincent a little of what happened, but not the whole story. She told him of the transformation, and the urges to go to the Forgotten City. She left out that her and her demon, Areao, had formed some sort of deeper bond. She felt less and less animosity towards the demon and had even felt grateful at times. She was wary of mentioning the materia. Merely glancing over the lake she'd found in her story had elicited a reaction from Vincent.

The materia… Holy. Something was different about it. Different than a normal materia. Her hand brushed over the spot it had melded into her body. Even though it had gone into her hand, Mae knew that it had moved to her chest, hovering gently above her rib cage.

Vincent noticed that Mae had left some parts of her story out, but said nothing. She clearly felt uncomfortable and he didn't feel like wrestling it out of her. Her hand moved over her chest, rubbing a small spot repeatedly. He didn't notice any injury, yet something was bugging her.

"I'm tired," Mae said finally.

"Let's go to bed."

* * *

It was a hot, muggy night, and Cosmo Canyon was not far in the distance. Red XIII was tired, sore and in need of guidance. He ran into town and straight for the cavern that held the petrified body of his father. The heat from the molten lava surrounded him and pushed his body further into the cavern. The trails were old, worn and well remembered, so when Red XIII reached the small cove that held his father's body, only to find it empty, his heart sank with fear. The moonlight still fell through the one small opening to the cool, welcoming night air, but his father's petrified form was no longer beneath it. Red ran up to the slab of rock where his father once stood, noble and proud and let out a howl of anger.

A scent flitted across his nostrils and stopped his battle cry. It was the smell of the demon that had hunter the group. Death, decay and bad cologne, probably used to try and mask the fact that the demon's host body was beginning to rot from the inside out. Rage filled the big cat's body and he leapt to the rock wall. His claws scrambled for hold on the uneven surface, and he fought to keep his footing, but even so, in seconds he was forcing his large body through the small hole leading to the world above.

Laughter reached his ears, carried lightly on the wind. A bulky form stepped forth from the shadows.

"Pleasant to see ya there old friend…" A giant Moogle with a small tuxedo patterned cat stepped forth, his bell ringing lightly at the movement. "Unfortunately, not so pleasant circumstances," he said with a rougish moue. Red XIII growled and gnashed his teeth.

"Where is my father?" The cat scrambled away, falling from his perch in a comical movement.

"Ahi, there laddie! No need to be so rough!" His accent grew rougher at the low growl in Red's throat. "Remember," he said nimbly climbing back up to his perch. "I am your friend and ally."

The small cat pulled gently on a small string coming out of the Moogle's head and it began to wave its arm and dance around. A silly tune came from the stuffed creature and a slot opened in its belly revealing a diskette. Cait Sith reached down, using his claws to keep from falling, and grabbed the disk.

"I have something to show you." The Moogle opened its mouth, revealing a tray. Cait Sith dropped the disk onto it and the Moogle swallowed it. Beams of light projected from its eyes onto the relatively smooth surface of the rock.

Red XIII watched stonily as a video played out in front of him.

"Reixez came to Shinra and caused a bit of a mess…" Cait Sith had lost the accent completely. His voice had dropped to the lower, less playful tone of the man controlling the machine. Red pretended not to notice. The video was showing Reixez, in demon form tearing up the offices of Rufus Shinra. Several employee's were trying to combat him to give time for other people in the building to escape. He watched as they were torn to pieces.

"I decided to follow him."

The video flipped over to a scene showing Reixez hobbling, half human, half demon over to Cosmo canyon. Red XIII felt a momentary panic. He hadn't gone into the small village. He didn't know if Reixez had…

"Luckily he didn't enter the city. He simply came to this cavern."

The video flipped again to Reixez walking up to his father's statuesque form. It went black.

"What I don't understand," said the deepened voice of the man behind the curtain. "Is what that demon wants with your deceased father." The cat looked over at him, its false eyes glittering in the moon light.

Red felt fear and anger flooding through him. This was none of that nosy human's business. He lowered his head and turned back to the rock face.

"What did it do with him?" he tried to keep his voice civil, but the underlying emotions were fighting to come through.

"He took the statue. I do not know where."

"Why didn't you follow him!" Red's anger flew forth, his claws puncturing the hard rock like paper, and his fiery tail flickering violently. Cait Sith sat on the Moogle's head, swinging its tail back and forth lazily.

"I've heard some rumors…" Silence greeted him. "You are no longer with Cloud and the others on the Shera?"

Red brought his anger under control and sat, once again looking away. "I do not need to be with them all the time."

Cait Sith watched the big cat, unsure of what to believe. Reno mentioned speaking to Cloud about Red's odd behavior, and Yuffie's spellbound actions. He had wanted to confirm the rumor, maybe do some more digging, but he wasn't giving anything away. Reixez's appearance had been misfortunate, but they had been expecting it. Cloud had been keeping them updated on his activity, and there had been no word for a while. The demon was up to something. And now it had stolen a petrified beast that was special to Red XIII out of the blue. It either was to be used as bait or blackmail. Or there was something else he wasn't thinking of.

Cait Sith lost the serious composure. "Well I'm sorry to say I wasn't more help than I was," came the Scottish drawl. "If I see anythin' I'll let you know." The Moogle waddled off, much faster than a beast that size should be able to move, leaving Red XIII with his thoughts. The smell of death and decay was starting to blow away with the night. Red did not intend to let that happen.

* * *

**:: So another chapter is done!**

**Cid: About friggin' time**

**Me: heeyyyyyyy**

**Reno: Its not her fault **

**Me: awww thanks Reno ^_^**

**Reno: She just happens to be really good at procrastinating :)**

**Me: you are not helping -.-**

**Vincent: ... *eats a cookie***


	42. Pink Persuasions

**::Hello my loyal readers! I have some news for you :) I have recently posted the illusive chapter 31 that people originally had to email me for. Not only that, but I have also gone back through all of the other chapters and inserted break points where there were view point or scene changes. They had been in the chapters originally, but when I uploaded the documents, Fanfiction had taken them out for whatever reason, and I hadn't been able to find a solution until the addition of the divider in editing options. So I did that in alllllll the previously posted chapters. You're welcome O.o **

**Reno: Now that's dedication!**

**Vincent: Or serious boredom...**

**Me: ... lets go with what Reno suggested...**

**I would also like for all readers to show some appreciation and post some reviews. After all! I haven't been able to give out any cookies for this chapter cuz people didn't tell me they wanted them! So, press the button, write a few words, throw some random objects, sit on the keyboard, whatever it takes, just let me know that I didn't waste 3 days of my life revamping the old chapters for better readability for nothing -.-'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vincent (only his soul XD) or any other Final Fantasy anything, but I do own all original characters and story stuffs as well as all of the cookies... Take them and I will show you my new frying pan, up close and personal ^_^**

**Chapter 42**

Mae had fallen quickly to sleep. Her mind was still reeling from the strange night she'd had, but even the morning sun could not keep her awake. The dream came over her slowly…

* * *

_At first she was still in her room, but she knew she was asleep, and her eyes were very heavy, then her room looked different. It was turning and twisting, the floor moving up and down like the ocean, her walls rocking back and forth like a boat. The floor beneath her toes felt cool and mushy, like she was standing in oatmeal. Slowly her feet began to sink into the floor. Mae tried to fight it, but her movements felt slow and labored. Her voice didn't want to work either. She tried to scream, but her throat felt odd; heavy and constricted. _

_She felt the thick texture of the floor give way, becoming thin like water. She fell beneath the surface and the cold assaulted her body immediately. Her room was still visible from the water, and she watched the ceiling lift up and fly away. Mae pushed her legs to give one good kick and her head broke from the water allowing her to gulp air greedily into her lungs. A voice in her head reminded her that she didn't have to worry about air anymore, but she ignored it. She didn't feel as if the demon, Areao was enabling her body at the moment. She felt very human. _

_She was also not in her room anymore. She was in the pond she'd stumbled upon in the Forgotten City. Although, it too was different, more vivid and real than when she had actually been there. Yet, even though she felt she might be dreaming, this felt as if she'd stepped out of the dream and into something else. She could feel the lukewarm water sliding gently across her skin, the gritty sand and smooth pebbles beneath her feet, the wind chilling her shoulders ever so slightly. Even the smells were vivid. The wind was carrying the smell of freshly watered flowers to her, tickling her senses nicely. _

_Everything around her was aglow with color and life. The forest trees that had seemed dead were swaying gently in time, their branches thick and full with leaves dark and green. Opalescent crystals were scattered throughout the area, even growing on the trees. The marble pillars that shot out from the water seemed to shimmer in the dim light. Even the moon paled in comparison to the glowing water. _

_Mae shifted and felt something heavy slide across her chest. She looked down and saw that the strange Materia she'd found was tied around her neck, hanging quite comfortably from a silken string. She picked it up, wondering at the warmth flowing off of it in waves. Something was reflected in its deep depths, but her attention was drawn from it by a light laugh in the distance. The trees shifted their movement to coincide with the lithe tune serenading its way through the forest. A hint of pink and flash of green eyes startled Mae and she retreated back into the water, choosing to hide behind one of the marble pillars. _

_It was the girl who had been haunting her dreams._

_Mae's cerulean eyes watched her happily bob over to the pond and dip her hand in. She shook off the water with a smile and took off her shoes. She pulled up the skirt she was wearing and tied it up so that it only fell just above her knees. A small sigh, followed by more singing accompanied a splash. She was wiggling her toes in the water, careful not to get her pink dress wet._

_The song she was singing changed. Mae recognized the tune. Her mother used to hum it all the time. There were no words to the song, just a slow lilting melody that seemed to let all who heard it drift off into reverie. It was a song that Mae had always loved. The tender tone of the song raised memories from the depths of her mind, each bubbling to the surface and passing like day-dreams do. Her eye caught the fading images of her sister sitting in her mother's lap, laughing at some long past joke and jerked out of her reverie. _

"_You miss them don't you?" Mae saw that the girl in pink had moved and was now sitting on the nearest pillar, kicking her feet playfully in the water. Her green eyes twinkled merrily in the light of the pond. Mae wasn't sure what to make of her, but decided that since she had been friendly in all previous dreams, this one shouldn't be any different. _

"_I do..." Mae said forlornly. She tried to ignore the hitch in her own voice, not liking the display of weakness. The girl in pink let it pass, leaning back and looking at the stars. _

"_Loved ones can come and go in life, ebbing and flowing like the tides of the oceans. One moment you are in over your head, covered in comfort, the next you are standing void of anything but yourself." She turned and smiled at Mae. Even though her words were sad, her smile never left her face. "Even the ones we want to stay forever can leave without a second thought, without a care in the world. And yet we still find it in our hearts to love." She stood, stretching lightly and began tracing circles on the marble with her toe. _

"_What should I do?" Mae said more to herself than the figure in front of her._

_No answer was forthcoming and so she leaned back into the water, staring up at the stars. The girl in pink watched her from the corner of her eyes. The cold marble beneath her grew warm and began to shift. She sighed lightly and hopped to the next one. _

"_I have a demon inside of me… another who wants me dead, and yet another who's intentions…" she trailed off, unsure of what to think about Vincent and her. She knew that they had feelings for each other, but what Vincent intended for them, or even what she saw for the future, was far beyond her reach. She didn't even know if she would live through the week, what with Reixez coming after her. And yet the demon had been strangely absent for some time. _

_Another hop and the girl in pink was nearing the large ornate platform at the center of the large pond. She began to hum again, swaying with the forest, walking in steps far older than she. _

"_I am lost as to who I am… What kind of person am I?" A flash of memory splayed across the pond, showing the broken bleeding body of the young boy she'd killed; killed out of mercy, but still dead by her hands. She felt guilt, but not the strong pain she used to feel. And yet that made her feel guiltier. "What do I do? How do I end this nightmare? And even if I do, who will I be? Where will I go?"_

_The girl in pink leaned over the peal railing of the intricately sculpted platform. Her smile was gone, replaced by a thoughtful moue. "Well dear, that depends on you. Is it worth the sacrifice? This new love you've found? What are you willing to do to keep it?" _

_Mae stared at her, trying to process her words, but finding her mind so full with the past few weeks and all that had happened, that she couldn't concentrate. The girl in pink smiled at her tenderly. _

"_Nothing in this life comes easily, but if you really want freedom, you can obtain it. After that, let the wind take you where it will. After all, you belong to yourself now. Not Reixez, not your friends, nor the memory of what once was. You have the chance to start anew, without the fetters of time past to hold you back. Be not afraid, because even the darkest of nights must come to an end."_

_Mae took all of her words in, closing her eyes and rolling them around in her mind. She was right. And the words both liberated her, and chained her at the same time. She would never be free is Reixez was not confronted and killed. That was the only path to her freedom. Once she was there, then she would search her feelings. Only then could she decide who she was, had been, and was becoming. _

_When Mae opened her eyes her heart had made a strong decision. She lifted her head, looking up and the woman in pink. She was going to thank her, but something odd caught her eye. The woman held the materia that had been around her neck, and even though she still looked young, her demeanor had changed to that of someone much older. Still she smiled and bowed her head in prayer. A dark shadow fell over the woman and Mae looked up to see a tall man in a black trench coat leap into the air. His silver tresses floated behind him, stealing life from the moonlight. Time seemed to slow as the woman looked back up to Mae, meeting her panic stricken eyes with a contented smile. _

"_We all make sacrifices for our dreams…"_

* * *

Mae awoke in a cold sweat, still able to smell and taste the blood in the air. She reached to her neck and found that the Holy materia was hanging around her neck on a silk string just like in the dream. Her roomed smelled of freshly watered flowers and Vincent was still laying next to her, sleeping lightly. The image of the girl in pink, impaled on the impossibly large katana would not be scrubbed from her mind. This woman, she didn't even know her name. Mae knew that she was somehow connected with her traveling companions, but she was unsure of how to brooch the subject. If the woman was indeed murdered, then it would be a touchy topic of conversation. Furthermore, it would be odd for her to mention at all, simply because she shouldn't even know of this woman's existence. She could ask Vincent, but she was unsure of how much she wanted to tell him, and he would know if she held back.

Caught between the urge to hide everything, yet the overwhelming feeling to share the burden, Vincent's movements went unnoticed. She jumped slightly as his arms slid around her. Once reassured it was him, she relaxed back into his touch, her mind still warring with itself. Years of her life had been spent hiding, running and sharing nothing of herself for the sake of survival, and yet now she was stronger than ever, united with a group of people that might not trust her fully now, but had show honor and caring towards her in the past. She also had Vincent, in whatever capacity he was willing to share himself. She had been holding back more than him, and it had cost them both a good deal. Maybe it was time for her to open up. After all, he'd saved her life more than once already.

Mae nuzzled the warm crook of Vincent's arm affectionately. The scent of earth and man washed over her. His warm breath sent small strands of hair to tickle her cheek. There was no pressure, no doubt, and no judgment.

"Who is the girl in pink…"

**:: Reno: Your mom**

**Me: Your mom's face**

**Reno: Your mom's face's elbow!**

**Vincent: I hate you both**

**Me: Your mom hates you both...**

**Vincent:... **

***chaos ensues***

**Review please!**


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